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Aug 31, 2009 9:08 pm US/Eastern
Crist Signs Off On Seminoles Gambling Deal
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
It's a done deal.
Gov. Charlie Crist signed a proposed gambling compact Monday with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which includes slot machines and banked card games like baccarat, high-stakes poker and, of course, blackjack.
The so-called "Cash for Black Jack" includes the slots and banked card games, but not craps and roulette. In exchange for being allowed to operate the games at all seven of its casinos, the tribe agreed that the state would be paid $150 million a year.
The agreement goes beyond the guidelines set by the Legislature, which only authorizes the games at four of the tribe's casinos including the Hard Rocks in Hollywood and Tampa. Crist acknowledged that the proposed compact didn't meet all Legislatures conditions but it was close enough to where he thought he could win their approval.
He plans to call a special session in October to put it before the legislature.
Gaming analysts say even before the Seminole tribe introduced blackjack into their casinos last year, the amount of money brought in by Florida's Indian gambling operations, which includes the Seminole and Miccosukee casinos, ranked in the top five in the nation.
Other gambling facilities will benefit as well.
CBS4's Joan Murray asked gamblers what they thought of the compact. Harvey Odze, who was following simulcast horse races on a big screen at a Broward pari-mutuel, said he was happy the state will get revenue from the deal.
"I think they should get a part of it," said Odze. "Otherwise they lose everything."
The governor's acceptance of the deal also beats the deadline for new Florida legislation aimed at keeping the pari-mutuels competitive. It means dog tracks, horse tracks and jai lai facilities will get a bigger piece of the gambling pie.
Those offering poker will be able to have extended hours. At Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, they plan to offer poker for 19 hours a day during the week and 24 hours a day on weekends.
Tracks will also be able to have nighttime horse racing, and they will also be able to offer multi-million dollar jackpots for their slot operations just like the Seminole Hard Rock.
CBS4 News spoke with Guy Protano who was playing the slots at Gulfstream.
"I've won and lost," said Protano. "Sometimes you see people leave with long faces. You hope they haven't lost money they shouldn't' have lost, like for their rent."
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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