On October 22nd, 2008, Players at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa, Florida will not be doubling any time sooon. The gambling officials of the Seminole Tribe of Florida targeted the Tampa gaming facility this summer as it is the second biggest location for blackjack and other brand new card games by year's end and will offer as much as one thousand additional jobs. But gaming plans are on hold beyond the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, which in June 2008 started offering legal banked card games in which players can go up against the casino.
Gary Bitner, the spokesperson for the Seminole Tribe said that there is no date or decision yet regarding the matter. The decision of the Florida Supreme Court in July cancelled the gaming compact signed by the Seminole Tribe and Governor Charlie that allowed the Seminole Tribe to offer Las Vegas style slot machines and the casino card games in return for paying Florida at least $100 million annually. The court decided that Crist overstepped his authority by allowing the Seminole Tribe to offer card games that are not allowed anywhere else in Florida.
The lawyer for the Seminole Tribe, Barry Richards says the tribe still has a gaming compact duly recognized by the federal government and intends to continue to offer the new games. The state lacks the power to stop it because the Seminole Tribe is a sovereign nation. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is petitioning the National Indian Gaming Commission to stop the new slots and card games or what is generally classified as Class III gaming until the state approves a new gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe. The Seminole Tribe officials have petitioned the commission to hold off judgment until they can accomplish a new gaming compact with the House.
Attorney Chris Kise, the lawyer who represented Governor Crist in the Supreme Court hearing said that it is now in the hands of the Florida Legislature. Before the decision of the court, the officials of the Seminole Tribe said that they intend to hire 3,650 employees to run the card games. Tampa's Hard Rock Casino alone needs around 800 to 1,000 new employees to the current 2,200 employees to manage around seventy to one hundred tables.
Monday, November 17 , 2008
Tim Arnell