A high-stakes deal with the Seminole Tribe set to expire this summer has lawmakers, pari-mutuel operators and out-of-state casinos wrangling over who gets what as the Legislature is once again poised to consider thorny gambling issues during the session that begins Tuesday.
A lucrative portion of an agreement inked by the state and the tribe five years ago—and $116 million a year that goes with it—giving the Seminoles exclusive rights to offer banked card games such as blackjack will expire in mid-July. That is putting pressure on lawmakers, who’ve been leery until now to pass any gaming legislation despite intense pressure from in-state and out-of-state gambling operators.
