"The Legislature and the Seminole Indian Tribe appear close to striking a deal to finally give Florida a portion of the proceeds from blackjack and other table games added to the Seminoles' casinos nearly two years ago. The pragmatic negotiations appear headed in the right direction. Money would be raised for education and other state needs, and left for another day would be the fight over whether Florida should allow full casinos all over the place.

Under the potential agreement, reported by the St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee bureau, the Seminoles would give the state roughly $430 million in cash immediately and another $150 million annually for the next five years. In exchange, the Seminoles would have the exclusive right to offer table games over the same period. But the Legislature could walk away from the deal after three to five years, and the Seminoles would stop their payments if lawmakers grant dog and horse tracks their longtime wish to offer the games.

For 20 years, the tribe would be the only entity allowed to operate Vegas-style slot machines outside Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Voters in those two counties already have approved slot machines for parimutuels. But the tribe's payments would stop if parimutuels in other parts of the state won the right to install slot machines."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Proposed gambling deal makes good sense for Florida (The St. Petersburg Times 3/5)

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