Indian Gaming > Seminole Tribe weighs next move in compact case

July 8, 2008

Seminole Tribe weighs next move in compact case

The Seminole Tribe and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) are weighing their next move after the state's highest court invalidated the Class III gaming compact they signed.

The tribe and the state are considering filing a motion for rehearing or clarification, the tribe's attorney said. Crist said he is weighing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

For now, the tribe sad it has no plans to stop offering Class III games at its casinos. The state, however, might have to return the revenues it received under the invalidated compact.

The tribe is operating on Indian lands but the Florida Supreme Court said the state falls under Public Law 280. "Based on these state and federal provisions, what is legal in Florida is legal on tribal lands, and what is illegal in Florida is illegal there," the court ruled on July 3.

Meanwhile, Pompano Park Isle Casino, a non-Indian slot machine facility, has asked a federal judge to put a halt to blackjack and other card games being operated by the Seminoles. The court said Crist had no authority to authorize the card games because they are not legal under state law.

Get the Story:
Casino targets tribe's gaming (The Miami Herald 7/8)
Advisers for Gov. Charlie Crist, Seminole Tribe discuss court ruling on blackjack (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 7/7)