"Somewhere in a netherworld between legal and illegal, they're playing blackjack.

The Seminoles are dealing, and throngs of players are clamoring to play card games approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission, declared illegal by the Florida attorney general, introduced through a compact negotiated by the governor and tossed by the Florida Supreme Court.

Amid this thicket of contradictions, the Legislature has made it clear that it's dead set against . . . well. . . not gambling exactly. Just some gambling.

Poker's OK. (Along with slots, parimutuels, lotteries, cruises to nowhere and 401(k) retirement funds). But blackjack is strictly forbidden.

If that seems like situational ethics, add $140 million to the jackpot -- money the Seminoles have set aside as the state's share of that infamous gambling compact. That money's tainted as far as the Legislature's concerned. Lawmakers won't touch it. But come March, when the gang heads back to Tallahassee to divvy up another desiccated budget, the Seminole booty could become as tempting as an evening with Angelina Jolie."

Get the Story:
Fred Grimm: Budget makes Seminole booty look tempting (The Miami Herald 1/22)