Editorial: Florida governor drinks the Kool-Aid

Monday, August 27, 2007  

"Uh-oh. One little financial thirst, and Gov. Crist already is reaching for the gambling Kool-Aid.

The governor and the Seminole Tribe of Florida are working on an agreement that would allow the tribe more gambling at its seven casinos. The complex details please lawyers who bill by the hour and befuddle the public, but the issue comes down to this:

Because of a 2004 constitutional amendment and a local vote, dog and horse tracks and jai-alai frontons in Broward County can have Class III slot machines, which are like those in Las Vegas and feature bigger payoffs than the Class II slots at tribal casinos. In effect, the tribe claims exclusive rights to the highest level of gambling, which would be Class III slots - and table games such as blackjack and roulette.

Whatever the tribe gets, Gov. Crist wants the state to get a piece of the action. That happens on state land, but not necessarily on tribal land. Though he once claimed to oppose increased gambling, the governor says the 2004 vote made the talks with the tribe inevitable. But then last week, a month before the Legislature meets to cut the budget, the governor went further.

Tribal money, he said, could solve the budget problem, not just this year but long-term. Instead of a possible cut in education spending, "My hope is that we don't have to do any cuts in education ... but rather an addition." Sigh. Here we go again."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Crist plays the same old bad hand (The Palm Beach Post 8/26)