Seminoles Win Court Battle Over Blackjack Tables At CasinosTribe Can Keep Running Table Games, Judge Says |
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A court ruling on Wednesday was good news for one of the nation’s largest tribal casino gambling groups.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in favored of the Seminole Tribe in its blackjack dispute with the state of Florida. The ruling means the tribe can keep the tables at its Sunshine State casinos.
The state wanted the tribe to cease blackjack because a 2010 compact between the two parties had expired. The tribe balked at the idea and continued to offer blackjack in the meantime.
The tribe argued that Florida violated the compact that gave it a casino gambling monopoly. Florida let race tracks have slot machines and offer card games that aren’t house-banked.
More than $1.5 billion has been paid to the state thanks to the 2010 compact.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the judge’s ruling allows the tribe to have blackjack for another 14 years, but it’s very possible the court decision will result in the tribe and the state working out a deal.
In 2015, a new compact was negotiated between Gov. Rick Scott and the Seminoles. However, lawmakers didn’t approve it because it was an omnibus gambling package.
The legislation to create a new compact would also have allowed the pari-mutuel gambling facilities to stop racing on site but continue with poker and slot machines.
Though Florida has a piece of the action and some control over the seven casinos operated by the Seminoles, tribal gaming in the United States is regulated by the federal government.
Florida has the third largest tribal gaming market in the country, behind California and Oklahoma. The Florida tribal gaming market is worth roughly $2.4 billion annually.
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