Gambling deal appears imminent

Facing a Thursday deadline to reach a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florda to legalize Las Vegas-style slot machines and other now-illegal "Class 3" games on tribal lands, Gov. Charlie Crist has scheduled a "major announcement" for Wednesday. "Stay tuned," is all spokeswoman Erin Isaac would say.

"I think it may be the gaming compact," said Senate Democratic leader Steve Geller, D-Cooper City, who spoke by phone with Crist on the topic Tuesday. But Geller emphasized he had no first-hand information.

When it is announced, the compact will likely trigger a new debate on the expansion of gambling in Florida, and embolden the Legislature -- which as part of the deal is expected to have the duty or ratifying or rejecting whatever Crist's team negotiated with the Tribe. During his campaign in 2006, Crist expressed an opposition to expansion of gambling while saying the state also had a duty to negotiate with the tribe under federal law.

Comments

Riiight! Negotiate and get a piece of the tax pie with your gambling.
Don't negotiate and you just get the gambling.

6:10 that is not true. The des DO nOT have the power to impose gaming on a state.

In the words of Peter Tosh, "Legalize it!"

If Crist signs this compact he will be a one term governor, and it will not be the anti gaming who will vote him out but the industry that he put out of business.

The Seminole are consider a sovereign nation like China.

Do we get a say in China's laws?

7:24 NEWSFLASH! There already IS gambling in Florida: A bunch of Indian casinos, boats which cruise to nowhere and some counties where the voters have approved it. THAT is the reason why gambling, already here, will either produce money for Florida (if we sign a compact) or not (if we don't, in which case the Feds will issue regulations allowing the Indians to expand their gaming anyway.)

11:44 NOT exactly like China. The Indians are not in the UN and the Department of the Inerior does not have any sway over China.

[Scott D]

Welocome to Fla Vegas. This is just the begin of major expansion of gaming in Florida. The Seminoles and Miccosukee tribes get their class III games and the pari-mutuel industry just stands by? No sir they do not. The pari-mutuels will ramp up their powerful lobby machine and they will probably get some VLT's run by the Florida Lottery as a stop gap until they too are allowed class III gaming.

Racinos are just around the corner.

NO GAMING FOR PARIMUTUELS!
REVOLK THEIR POKER & SLOTS!

As for the Indians, they are a sovereign nation.