A deal struck this week between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida moves the southernmost state the closest it’s ever been to having true Las Vegas style gambling.

In fact, if the new 25-year gaming compact gets certified expect to see Class III style slot machines as well as select table games such as baccarat and blackjack shortly.  The Seminoles own seven casinos in the state including the Hard Rock Hollywood and Hard Rock Tampa properties.

The Seminoles, however, will have to give up their sweet tax free deal in order to get the new gaming machines. Currently the Seminoles utilize Type II gaming devices which are really a type of bingo game. Players play against each other rather than the house. That means the house doesn’t get as much revenue. Players however, may think they are playing traditional slot machines because the vide interface makes it look like the same thing.

State reps feel they were cornered into making a deal because of a mandate by the federal government permitting Native American tribes to have at least the same types of games that are in other parts of the state. Florida is now rolling out slot machines at several racetracks. Additionally, the government gave the state and Governor Charlie Crist a deadline of this week to strike a deal. That deal does give the state an initial $50 million payout from The Seminoles upon approval by the federal government and a guaranteed minimum $100 million payout for the first two years and $150 million from the third year on.

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Even with such a rich payout to the state, the Seminoles are expected to reap in rich rewards in the billions of added revenue. "If we don't do it [make a deal], the federal government would do it anyway and we get zero," Crist told the Associated Press.

Senate Democratic Leader Steven A. Geller (D–Cooper City) said the deal is a bad one and is upset the Governor circumvented the legislature to get the deal done.

"The governor may have had the best intentions in inking this compact, but he was terribly misguided," said Geller. "Not only does the state of Florida end up with the short end of the financial stick, but for the first time in the state’s history, a governor has bypassed the Legislature for approval on a compact. He’s left us no recourse but to file suit to stop this folly," wrote Geller in a statement.

One significant impact the deal has is that it gives the Seminoles more games than are available at the race tracks. Only the Seminoles will have baccarat and blackjack, making their properties more desirable by casino players. The Cooper City Democrat noted that the gambling compact signed Wednesday provides glaring loopholes by which the Seminole Tribe may not be obliged to pay any proceeds to the state. In addition, Geller said that the agreement may give the tribe for the first time the ability to have mechanical roulette and craps tables at their gaming facilities.

Additionally, the new compact puts the state and the parimutuel facilities in Broward and Dade at a disadvantage, Geller believes. The Broward parimutuels are barely breaking even, or losing money, and they would all be unable to compete with the Indians who now because of the compact will have the advantage of operating more extensive gaming facilities.

Once all four parimutuel facilities in Broward are opened and operating properly, it’s expected that they would generate $200 million to $250 million annually in tax revenue, Geller said. The ones on the table for Dade, if approved by voters, would generate $150 million annually to the state. Geller said he couldn’t understand why the state would be willing to accept $100 million to $150 million promised by the Seminoles rather than the minimum of $400 million which would be paid by the parimutuels.

"This compact delivers billions in windfall to the Seminole Tribe while the state ends up losing money," said Geller. "The governor may be willing to accept such a poorly negotiated deal, but it’s highly unlikely that the Legislature ever would have approved it. And I’m willing to bet that the courts will back us."

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