"In the short term, not much will change if a revised Seminole gambling compact is announced Monday, the Legislature's deadline for a deal.
There'll still be blackjack and other table games running at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, which markets itself as "South Florida's Only Real Casino."
There still won't be blackjack, loosened poker-room restrictions or lower slot machine taxes at the three local pari-mutuel casinos.
And there still won't be any certainty that this agreement between the tribe and governor -- whatever it looks like -- is actually a done deal. That's because the Legislature gets final say.
As Florida's recent gambling history has shown, ratification is no sure thing.
Legislators might approve the revised compact in a special session in early October. Or they might balk and insist on more changes, just like they did last spring with the original 2007 compact.
Or they might shoot the whole thing down and let federal authorities sort it out.
So it's hard to say if Monday's expected announcement will really be the end of the Seminoles' 30-year battle with the state or just another volley in a ping-pong match between the governor and Legislature."
Get the Story:Michael Mayo: Deal or no deal? Florida's gambling games far from over (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 8/28)
