Nov 13, 2008 3:10 pm US/Eastern
Blackjack Gaming Opens At Tampa Hard Rock Casino
The Florida Supreme Court In July Overturned An Agreement Gov. Crist Signed With The Seminole Tribe
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Gamblers at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa on Thursay can begin playing blackjack, baccarat and other card games.
The casino opened 104 tables, despite questions over whether such games are even legal in the state.
The state Supreme Court ruled in July that Gov. Crist did not have the authority to agree to the pact that led the table games and Las Vegas-style slot machines becoming legal.
Before that ruling, the state agreed to gambling so that in return it would get $50-million in revenues immediately and $100-million guaranteed in the first year. In the second year, the state is guaranteed $125-million and at least $150 million in the third year. Tax dollars from gambling would be funneled into a state education fund.
But the Seminole Tribe says the state has no authority on sovereign American Indian land and now is powerless to make them stop.
The card games employ 1,000 new workers, bringing the number of casino employees to 2,800.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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