"Gov. Charlie Crist should not have to engage in a high-stakes poker game to negotiate a gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe. But the state Legislature dealt him that hand, and he’s forced to play it out.

Legislators need not congratulate themselves for the proposed compact they passed last week, after they prevailed against Crist in the state Supreme Court last summer, when his unilateral deal with the Seminoles was voided. There is still a danger of the federal government stepping in and leaving the state empty-handed if Crist and the tribe reach an impasse.

The new compact, which gives the state at least $150 million in revenue per year for education, needs to be signed by both parties by Aug. 31. But it also needs to be fair, so if the Seminoles have some issues with the Legislature’s version, that’s understandable.

Crist’s agreement called for the Seminoles to pay a minimum of $100 million per year in return for the right to operate blackjack and baccarat and other table games at all seven tribal casinos. The Legislature’s pact not only ups the minimum payment by $50 million per year, it prohibits blackjack and baccarat at three casinos, including Immokalee."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Get Seminole compact done (The Fort Myers News-Press 5/16)

More Stories:
Seminoles want to talk, but gaming questions persist (The Fort Myers News-Press 5/16)
The new landscape of gambling in Florida (The Sarasota Herald Tribune 5/18)