Indian Gaming Now

A New Deal? Fla. Gov. Crist Reaches Revised Compact with Seminole Tribe

Sep 3 2009
Florida Governor Charlie Crist's revised compact with the Seminole Tribe is coming under scrutiny.  After the Florida Supreme Court invalidated some provisions of the hard-fought original compact, there was something of a political stalemate as the Tribe continued operating its casino games and state officials tried to figure out what to do.

The revised compact provides some exclusivity to the Tribe in exchange for revenue-sharing.  But it's the politics of the deal that are drawing fire.

The state legislature will decide whether to approve the compact, likely in October.  Special interest groups are urging lawmakers to take sides.

Florida Baptists are organizing a "just say no" campaign against the revised compact, according to Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant Bill Bunkley.  Bunkley posed the question, "Will the Legislature cave once again to the big gambling interests?  Who knows.  What's certain, the next four to six weeks will be a huge tug of war, for sure."

Commercial gaming interests in the state are complaining about "favoritism" to the Tribe in the form of exclusive rights to operate some casino games.

And Crist's own aspirations to the U.S. Senate may become a target as well, according to some.

Read more: Gaming Foes Say Seminole Deal Is "No Slam Dunk," Jacksonville Observer
Crist Has Until Monday To Reach Gambling Deal, Tallahassee.com