The Bureau of Indian Affairs told Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) on Monday to reach an agreement with the Seminole Tribe for Class III gaming by November 15.
If the state can't come to a deal, the BIA will issue secretarial procedures to allow the tribe to offer slot machines, assistant secretary Carl Artman said in a letter. That means the state would lose out on a share of the revenues.
Artman "is essentially putting his word on the line," George Skibine, the director of the BIA's Office of Indian Gaming Management, told The St. Petersburg Times.
A tribal attorney said an agreement should be ready by the deadline and several drafts have been publicized. The tribe has said it wants to share revenues.
Get the Story:Feds back Seminole gaming (The St. Petersburg Times 11/6)
Billions for the Seminole, millions for the state (Tampa Bays 10 News 11/5)