Blackjack tables at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, Florida. Photo from Facebook
Florida newspaper criticizes lawmakers for failing to ratify a Class III gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe:
Nobody acted decisively on the compact until this past December, when Gov. Rick Scott signed a 20-year agreement with the Seminoles. The deal guarantees the state $3 billion over seven years, but expands gambling by awarding the tribe exclusive rights to add craps and roulette and expand current games and slots to all seven tribal casinos. The Legislature must approve the deal for it to become law. The House and Senate, though, have resisted the tribe's monopoly and want to adopt policies that benefit the declining but still powerful parimutuel industry. The new compact does accomplish some of that as the Seminoles agreed to forego their statewide monopoly on blackjack and allow slots outside several South Florida counties, among other concessions. But those provisions do not satisfy the parimutuel industry as a whole. This Editorial Board has staunchly opposed an expansion of gambling in a state where the family-friendly tourism industry dominates the economy. But some sort of expansion appears inevitable.Get the Story:
Editorial: Another shameful delay on Seminole gambling deal (The Bradenton Herald 3/3) Also Today:
Florida Senate leaders continue to block gambling expansion (AP 3/3)
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