Jim Rosica
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday wouldn’t say what he’ll do if the Seminole Tribe of Florida later this week refuses to take down its card tables when a deal expires that let it offer blackjack at its casinos.
Scott was asked about Seminole gambling after a Florida Cabinet meeting at the Capitol.
“I’m going to take the right amount of time to make sure I take care of all the taxpayers,” he said. “I want to take care of our state; I want to make the best deal I can.”
The governor was then pointedly asked if he was prepared to seek enforcement of the agreement, which could mean U.S. marshals going onto tribal land and into casinos to seize tables, cards and other game-playing equipment.
“My legal team is reviewing it,” he said. “We’re going to do the right thing for the state.”
In return for rights to offer the card game, the tribe had to guarantee a $1 billion minimum payment into the state treasury over five years, starting in 2010-11.
That provision is one part of a larger agreement known as the Seminole Compact. The blackjack portion of the deal expired July 31 but has a 90-day grace period that itself ends this Thursday.
The Seminoles want to keep card games at seven of their casinos, including the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa.
If there’s no new agreement in place, the state can go to federal court and ask a judge to enforce the compact under federal Indian gaming law. That means ordering the Seminoles to take down the card tables.
The Tribe’s lawyers have made clear it has no intent to discontinue blackjack. They have argued the state broke its promise of exclusivity by allowing electronic blackjack and player-banked poker elsewhere in the state, including in South Florida.
While both sides are in mediation to renew the blackjack deal, the tribe also filed suit in federal court in Tallahassee as a backup measure to preserve its rights.
