FLorida State Supreme Court Voids Seminole Gaming Pact

State Supreme Court Voids Seminole Gaming Pact


By JEROME R. STOCKFISCH | The Tampa Tribune
Published: July 3, 2008
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The state Supreme Court has scrapped the agreement that allowed the Seminole Tribe to offer Las Vegas-style slot machines and blackjack card games at its casinos.
A court ruling released this morning stated that Gov. Charlie Crist's execution of a gaming compact with the Indians violated separation-of-power provisions of Florida law. The court said "the governor has no authority to change or amend state law," which is the Legislature's role.
The ruling came in a case filed by the House of Representatives, which felt it should have a say in the process.
It was not immediately clear how the ruling would affect play at the Seminoles' casinos. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Interstate 4 and Orient Road and a massive entertainment complex near Hollywood, Fla., already have installed the so-called Class III slot machines and blackjack tables.

We had the same problem here and im surprised they didnt use it as precedent..
If it goes to the U.S. court the Tribe will get to do anything it wants as they are on soverign land of which the state has no authority over AT ALL..
Our Gov at the time worked out some regulations that the Tribes would agree with but didnt have to.
He was heavily critized as expanding gaming but actually there was nothing he could have done to stop it anyway and getting them to agree to any limitations was better than nothing ...

ProPokerPlayer said:

We had the same problem here and im surprised they didnt use it as precedent..
If it goes to the U.S. court the Tribe will get to do anything it wants as they are on soverign land of which the state has no authority over AT ALL..
Our Gov at the time worked out some regulations that the Tribes would agree with but didnt have to.
He was heavily critized as expanding gaming but actually there was nothing he could have done to stop it anyway and getting them to agree to any limitations was better than nothing ...

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If dem Injuns win the war , not the battle, they will have a sportsbook, Fla greatest fear..Charlie can take his daily lotto and scratch tickets and stick them up his ass

BJ will go on. it may be put on hold in tampa for a while.

Denniz da Menace said:

If dem Injuns win the war , not the battle, they will have a sportsbook, Fla greatest fear..Charlie can take his daily lotto and scratch tickets and stick them up his ass

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There is a very good sportsbook in the Tampa area presently...the boat out of Treasure Island uses eight cent baseball lines(from WSEX) and has limits of 10,000 per game.

From my house in ST. PETE, i can be out my front door at 10:15 and be wagering sports at 11:40(boat departs sharply at 11am).

They also have great blackjack, slots, and video poker machines.......all of which are +EV with proper stategy. Included in the trip is free drinks and a nice little 3 entree buffet which isnt to shabby and is complimentary also.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Fishhead said:

There is a very good sportsbook in the Tampa area presently...the boat out of Treasure Island uses eight cent baseball lines(from WSEX) and has limits of 10,000 per game.

From my house in ST. PETE, i can be out my front door at 10:15 and be wagering sports at 11:40(boat departs sharply at 11am).

They also have great blackjack, slots, and video poker machines.......all of which are +EV with proper stategy. Included in the trip is free drinks and a nice little 3 entree buffet which isnt to shabby and is complimentary also.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Click to expand...

the one in palm beach is the same way, one of the best buffets you'll find.

hardrock charges for drinks no matter if your playing $25 a hand or $300 a hand.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdlcompactpnjul08,0,2162026.story

Legislature holds the dice on Seminole gaming and must roll prudently

<DL class=byline>South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board <DD>July 8, 2008 </DD></DL>ISSUE: The Florida Supreme Court strikes down the compact.

Gov. Charlie Crist rolled snake eyes with the Florida Supreme Court and the Seminole Compact. An even bigger loser may very well be the state of Florida, depending on whether the state will strike a meaningful deal with the tribe or have the federal government impose one.
The court's ruling brought clarity to the constitutional argument over the governor's power and the role of the Florida Legislature, even if the governor's politically risky go-it-alone strategy would have produced a tangible benefit for the state. Now that the dust has settled on the separation of powers, the larger questions over gambling, and how much of it should be sanctioned by the state of Florida, remain unanswered.

The truth is that gambling isn't going away in Florida. Whether it's the scratch-off games, the cruises to nowhere or the slot machines at a [URL="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/"]Broward County[/URL] horse track, gambling remains a popular activity and a recognized source of revenue for state and local governments.
The governor had little choice but to negotiate a pact with the Seminoles, particularly with the federal government threatening to interject a pact that would have given the Seminoles expanded gaming with no required benefits for Florida. House Speaker Marco Rubio, a fierce critic of gaming, was well within his rights to legally challenge the governor's negotiated $100 million pact without legislative oversight.

State lawmakers must now join the governor in crafting a compact that passes muster with both the Seminoles and the state. Lawmakers should not use the decision to fruitlessly obstruct a pact.

The Legislature should also lower the ill-advised tax rates the pari-mutuels agreed to back in 2005. Burdensome taxes imposed on those casinos undermine their ability to build gaming operations at dog and horse tracks, operations that have been sanctioned by the voters and offer a degree of competition to the Seminoles.

The state Supreme Court has spoken. It's now time for state lawmakers to act.

BOTTOM LINE: Legislators hold the dice, and they must act as partners, not obstructionists.

Seminoles Mulling Florida Gambling Deal, Eyeing Full Casinos

http://www.casinogamblingweb.com/ga..._gambling_deal_eyeing_full_casinos_51436.html

Seminoles Mulling Florida Gambling Deal, Eyeing Full Casinos


The Seminole Indians in Florida have a decision to make regarding expanded gambling at their casinos. They can take a deal that lawmakers in the state have outlined, or they can hold out and let their gambling future be decided on a Federal level.

Governor Charlie Crist has been trying for several years to make a deal with the Seminoles that would expand gambling at their casinos, while giving the state a portion of the revenue generated. At first, lawmakers balked at the idea, but eventually they joined Crist in his efforts.

The problem now for the state is that full-scale casino gambling was being discussed as an option in the state Senate, and the Seminoles wrapped their arms around that idea. The deal they can approve does not include craps and roulette, thanks to the House which would not concede all casino games.

"There is a very strong possibility that the Seminoles turn their back on the current deal on the table," said one source with inside knowledge of the situation, "They (Seminoles) feel that they can win the rights to full-scale casino gambling Federally, so they are in no rush to sell themselves short."

Of course, there is always the chance that things do not go well for the Seminoles on a Federal level. That is what they are now weighing. Most likely, they will take the current deal and try to negotiate a few more perks for themselves.

State lawmakers have already said that no major concessions will be made. Craps and roulette seem out of the realm of possibility when it comes to the deal. They may, however, concede to allow blackjack at other Seminole casinos in the state.

The coming weeks will be telling, with our insider claiming the Seminoles are already planning a full expansion at both their Hard Rock and Coconut Creek casinos. The next move is theirs, as the state waits patiently.

June 21, 2009
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com

You people are so fucking joansing to gamble that you would gamble if Osama Bin Laden opened up a casino. I would never gamble at any of the Seminole casinos because there is no casino control commission and they self-regulate themselves. There are numerous stories over the last twenty-five years of people that they have scammed. They used to claim people cheated when they had the pseudo slot machines. They have claimed machine error other times. You gotta love the automatic shuffle blackjack tables.