Editorial: Extend Class III casino compact with Seminole Tribe

In plain terms, Seminole Chief James Billie let the governor and legislative leaders know last week that the tribe is prepared to stop its payments to the state and sue in federal court. The Tribe believes the state violated the deal’s terms by allowing electronic blackjack games and player-banked poker games to be played in card rooms at horse and dog tracks in Florida.

The state can dispute that claim, but there is a reasonable argument to be made. Either way, by refusing to cut a new deal ahead of the deadline, the state risks losing $200 million this year and millions more that might be negotiated in future years.

It also throws open the door to renewed legislation next year to allow the massive casinos in Florida, a move that would tarnish the state’s reputation as a tourism mecca for families.

An extension of the deal would allow the Tribe to move forward with $1.6 billion in capital improvements it plans in Florida, including a substantial hotel expansion at its Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino along Interstate 4 west of Tampa, one of seven casinos the Tribe owns in the state. We would rather see no more money invested in a predatory enterprise, but better it be on the tribal lands where gambling already exists than in new locations.