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Column: Seminole Tribe can thank Poarch Creeks for casino ruling

Thursday, June 4, 2015

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Photo from Facebook

Will a court decision favoring the Poarch Band of Creek Indians affect Class III gaming compact negotiations between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe? Columnist Michael Mayo takes a closer look at the issue:

A Florida appeals court's ruling to allow slot machines at a tiny barrel-racing track in rural Gadsden County could send huge shockwaves through Florida's gambling landscape.
The biggest question: Will it blow up the Seminole Tribe's revenue-sharing agreement with the state?
According to the terms of the 2010 deal, the tribe's payments stop if slots operate anywhere outside Broward or Miami-Dade counties. And the tribe would still be able to offer slots at its casinos, and perhaps blackjack and other table games, if the agreement is voided.
That would cost the state — and save the Seminoles — about $260 million a year.
Seminole spokesman Gary Bitner said the tribe was reviewing the situation and the case could go to the Florida Supreme Court. The decision issued last week by the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee will likely be challenged by state gambling regulators who initially denied the Gretna track's application for a slots license.
Instead of sweating out a new agreement, the Seminoles might get to keep their gambling empire without paying a dime. They would lose exclusivity outside of South Florida, but would gain a huge competitive edge with an extra quarter-billion dollars a year for marketing, promotions and new amenities at its Hollywood and Coconut Creek casinos.
Barrel-racing in the Panhandle could turn out to be the tribe's new best friend.
The Seminoles might have to send a big thank-you note to Gretna's biggest investor: The Poarch Creek Tribe of Alabama.

Get the Story:
Michael Mayo: Slots at tiny track could be big boon to Seminoles (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 6/4)

Also Today:
Michael Mayo: Slots at Kennel Club get boost from court ruling (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 6/4)

Florida 1st District Court of Appeal Decision:
Gretna Racing v. Department of Business and Professional Regulation Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering (May 29, 2015)