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After three years of trying and two failed compacts, the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe have a 5-year billion-dollar deal on casino gambling. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the Tribe will get banked card games such as blackjack in five locations for 5 years, while the state considers other options.

In a complex deal, the Seminole Tribe gets to keep slot machines at all 7 reservations for the next twenty years. Nat sot.. But it only gets to deal blackjack at 5 locations for the next five years. The deal caps decades of negotiations and three years of serious talks that produced two failed compacts. Tribal Chairman Billy Cypress found humor in the end product.

“I see why Obama had a tough time passing his health bill; it’s similar to that for me,” Cypress said.

Florida gets to keep the 400 million-plus it has already put in the bank and then it will get a billion more over the next 5 years.

“It is my hope that these much needed funds will find their way to the classrooms,” Governor Charlie Crist said.

The compact also sets the stage for Florida to consider authorizing high-stakes casinos over the next five years.

“I think it’s a good deal for Florida, for 2010,” Sen. Dennis Jones said. “We’ll ride it out five years and see where it goes. Certainly we’ve been at an impasse for 20 years.”

“The tribal council is set to approve the deal on Wednesday morning; the Senate on Thursday. So this deal could be done by early next week.

The deal splits dog and horse tracks. South Florida facilities with slots, like it. But everyone else says it will hurt business.

“Without a product, an additional product, for our customers, it’s going to be hard to stay in business,” Richard Winning, with Derby Lane Dog Track, said.

Traditional parimutuels do get 300 yet-to-be-determined bingo-style machines, but nothing like the full slots they have wanted.

The deal helps lawmakers avoid some painful cuts in the state budget and brings the house and senate spending plans closer to resolution.

State lawmakers hope to resolve a gaming deal sooner than later, so they’ll know whether or not they can use money from the deal to build the budget. Dennis Jones, the chairman of the Senate’s Regulated Industries committee says he’s working closely with his counter part in the House to get the gaming compact moving.

“We are going to try to move the issue up toward the center of the session not towards the end, and I’m hopeful we can come to an agreement this year, but again it’s simply a balancing act to make sure that one industry doesn’t trump the other,” said Jones

The original gaming compact gave exclusive rights to blackjack and other games to the Seminole Tribe. Lawmakers are trying to work out a deal that extends the deal to all Florida casinos.

Governor Charlie Crist is betting on an Indian gaming compact this year, hoping the third time will be the charm to pass the compact. The original gaming deal with the tribe was nixed by the State Supreme Court. Last year’s deal wasn’t ratified by the legislature. Crist says despite the difficulties facing the gaming expansion, he’s more confident than ever.

“I’m pretty confident. There has been movement like we have never seen before as it relates to the Seminole compact to help education for our children. The House and the Senate are really warming up to it. I remain hopeful that they’ll do the right thing,” said Crist.

If the legislature agrees on a deal, the state would receive 430 million dollars for next year’s budget. Holding the deal back are Florida casinos that would be put at a disadvantage by giving the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to certain games.

A Select House committee indicated today it will not ratify a Seminole Gambling Compact negotiated by Governor Charlie Crist, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the conservative lawmakers indicated they may be willing to expand gambling in Florida.

The Seminole tribe is willing to pay Florida 150 million a year for gambling. But lawmakers were told the state could earn as much as a billion, or about 7 times more, if it licensed casinos in Florida. That got a legislative committee’s attention.

“You do it in a controlled fashion,” Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff (R-Ft. Lauderdale) said. “You create a competitive bid process where you allow the type of facilities to come in that will ultimately allow us to bring in the convention business and make it a destination location. And do it tastefully, and do it right.”

Even conservative lawmakers from the Panhandle blessed the idea…with a caveat.

“I don’t think we should be expanding gambling,” Rep. Marti Coley (R-Marianna) said. “If the community wants it, then I’m not going to fight that.”

The committee made it clear that the Seminole Tribe deal negotiated by the governor is all but dead. But the prospect of opening full-scale casinos is a dream most pari-mutuel operators never thought possible, until they heard the committee.

“We have existed gambling facilities all around this state that have been in business since the 1930’s,” Dan Adkins with Mardi Gras Gaming, said. “Why not allow them the opportunity to compete and provide revenue for the state. New jobs, more revenue. I mean, far and away more money than the Tribe can ever provide.”

Unless lawmakers are bluffing to get a better deal from the Tribe, it appears voters could be asked to authorize even more gaming next November.

The Seminoles continue to operate the blackjack, poker and other games and will under federal authority, even though the state attorney general and speaker of the house want them shut down now.

Gamblers can now buy a scratch-off ticket the same way many people buy a coke.

The Florida Lottery is rolling out its ticket vending machines at convince stores throughout the state. They plan to have a thousand in place by November. Florida Lottery spokeswoman Connie Barnes said the machines will help boost sales.

“The Florida Revenue Estimating Conference conservatively projects a 3.4 million dollar profit after all expenses have been paid to education. So, we are very hopeful that these machines will generate additional dollars for that purpose,” said Barnes.
The machines take cash only and will be watched by store owners to make sure kids don’t buy the scratch-off games.

The speaker of the Florida House is asking the Federal government to shut down all seven of the Seminole Indian Casinos in Florida because the state is at an impasse with the Indians. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the Seminole Tribe believes the state is looking to get more than the tribe is willing to give.

In a strongly worded letter to federal officials, Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul is asking that card games at all seven Seminole Indian Casinos be shut down. The request is on tricky legal ground.

After the Governor signed a deal with the Seminoles, the agreement was later approved by the Federal government. Only later did a state court invalidate it. The tribe says what was signed remains in effect.

“It remains valid until an appropriate federal court or federal agency declares otherwise,” Seminole Tribe attorney Barry Richard said. “And that has not happened and should not happen, until the legislature decides whether or not it’s going to approve it.”

A second deal was negotiated in August, with the tribe giving the state 50 million a year more than in the original deal. The House leadership doesn’t like that second deal, because the tribe refused to give up exclusive rights to its card games.

House leaders say the negotiations over gambling are at an impasse and the tribe is quick to point out there have been no hearings held since the compact was signed, nor has any lawmaker called the tribe.

For more than a year, the Attorney General has been asking the Feds to shut the games down.

“We have had those communications with the National Indian Gaming Commission, saying you’ve got to step in; you need to shut these games down,” Sandi Copes, spokesperson for the Attorney General said. “No, [they haven’t shut them down]. The games do continue.”

And lawmakers should be careful what they wish for. Shutting the games down could put as many as 10 thousand people out of work…and they would share the blame.

A special session to take up gaming was supposed to be help in October.  It never happened and legislative leaders are being tight lipped about when or if they’ll take up the issue.

State lawmakers are reviewing a new gaming deal to expand gambling at Seminole casinos. The new deal would bring in 7 billion dollars for education over the next 20 years. As Whitney Ray tells us, schools have hit the jackpot but they won’t collect unless lawmakers, upset over what was left out of the deal, give the go ahead.

Whether or not lawmakers will approve the new gaming deal is anybody’s guess. Lawmakers wanted Black Jack limited to four casinos. The governor agreed to seven. Lawmakers wanted the gaming deal to last just 15 years. The governor agreed to 20. Lawmakers wanted the option to expand gambling elsewhere in Florida. The governor gave the tribe exclusivity.

That could be a problem because state lawmakers still have to sign off on the deal. The state legislature is expected to hold a special session in October. Governor Charlie Crist said if lawmakers don’t accept the deal the state could lose billions.

“My concern, if we don’t, that the legislature doesn’t, is that the federal government will allow them to do it anyway and we won’t get a dime of the money,” said Crist.

But if the legislature does approve the deal Florida schools will get seven billion dollars over the course of the agreement.

“In this state we are well below the national average and we’ve experienced cuts four times over the last couple of years so we need to recapture money best we can,” said FEA Spokesman Mark Pudlow.

Crist and the Seminole Tribe are betting on the boost to education funding to gain legislative approval.

Governor Charlie Crist, who is expected to call a special session on gambling for October, says oil drilling may be brought into the discussion.

Legislation to give the state cabinet the authority to approve oil drilling off the coast of Florida failed in the legislature last year. The House passed the bill, but the Senate never took it up. Crist said the legislation wasn’t given enough attention.

“Obviously it would have to be something that would be introduced by the legislature. So, you know, they sort of have first base authority, if you will, as in regards to that. But, I think it dovetails off of some of the discussion that we had at the end of session last year, which was, at the time, I thought, a little hasty,” said Crist.

No bill has been proposed yet, but state legislation to allow drilling off the coast of Florida is in the works.

Governor Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe have agreed on a gambling deal. Last minute maneuvering and concerns by key lawmakers kept the clock ticking until mid afternoon on this, the final day to reach agreement. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, there is a pile of cash riding on the deal.

There is already 162 million, five hundred thousand dollars sitting in the state treasury, paid to the state by the Seminole Tribe, but not a dime of it can go to schools or anything else until a deal is finalized.

That will take an act of the legislature. Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp is anxiously awaiting the cash.

“You know, it’s always been a priority for the governor and me to not only hold education harmless, but to try to increase funding for education, even in these tough budget times, and this will help us do that,” Kottkamp said.

Negotiations took place over a good part of last week in this law firm a block from the state Capitol. The deal to let the tribe keep high stakes poker, black jack and other games has been up in the air for weeks.

As recently as Friday, key lawmakers were raising questions as to whether the governor was giving away too much.

Until lawmakers ratify what the governor has negotiated, the cash stays put.

And if lawmakers balk at the expansion of gambling, the state may never see a dime.

The Governor first signed a Gambling deal with the Seminoles in 2007, but it was thrown out by the state Supreme Court seven months later after state lawmakers successfully argued the expansion of gambling wasn’t allowed by state law.

Read the Compact here: 2009831-compact

You can still play the slots or black jack at a Hard Rock Casino being
run by the Seminole Tribe, but until the state and the Tribe reach a
deal, the casino’s remain in legal limbo. State negotiators and he
Seminole Tribe have until next Monday to reach a gambling deal. As Mike
Vasilinda tells us, the deadline was spelled out in legislation passed.

It has been almost 2 years since Governor Charlie Crist cut a deal with
the Seminole Indians to operate full blown Vegas-style casinos in Florida.

The games have been up and running, but the deal is in limbo. State
lawmakers challenged the original deal and forced new negotiations. Now
both sides face an August 31st deadline to reach a deal.

At stake: 3 to 5 hundred million in payments to the state each year and
whether the tribe gets exclusive rights to slots outside of south Florida.

The negotiations were taking place in this law firm just a block from
the Capitol. We caught up with House Rules Chairman Bill Galvano on his
way in to observe.

“My presence here is simply to provide some feedback, see where they
are,” Galvano said.  “I think they’ll get something together within the time constraints
set forth in the conference report.”

As the clock ticks, Governor Charlie Crist says he’s optimistic.

“My Understanding is that it’s going pretty well,” Crist said. “No immediate update in
the past couple hours, but I’m encouraged.”

The sticking point has always been exclusivity. The Seminoles don’t
want anyone competing with them.

Under the law authorizing a new deal, the Tribe could reduce payments if
slots are authorized at dog or horse tracks outside South Florida.

If there’s no deal by the August 31st deadline, Attorney General Bill McCollum is expected to renew his request to federal authorities to shut the gambling operations down.