Seminole Tribe spends more than $24 million on gaming initiative

Monday, November 5, 2018

The Seminole Tribe has made a big bet on Election Day in order to protect its gaming enterprise.

The tribe has bankrolled Amendment 3, a ballot initiative that would place restrictions on new non-Indian gaming facilities. So far, the tribe has invested nearly $24.65 million in the effort, according to news reports.

"Who do you trust to make casino gambling decisions in Florida? Amendment 3 puts VOTERS in charge, and takes power away from politicians and lobbyists," Voters in Charge, the group bankrolled by the tribe, wrote in a post on Twitter on the eve of the vote.

The tribe isn't the only one investing in Voters in Charge, either. The Walt Disney Company has donated $19.65 million to the group, Florida Politics reported.

As a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution, Amendment 3 is an must secure 60 percent of the vote on Tuesday in order to pass. If it does, it requires any new non-Indian gaming developments to be put to a statewide vote.

Any such projects would then need 60 percent of the vote in order to be approved.

The amendment would not affect the tribe's six casinos in southern Florida. Those fall under a Class III gaming compact that promises regional exclusivity to the tribe in exchange for a share of the revenues.

Despite the pledge, the state authorized an expansion of non-Indian gaming in violation of the agreement, a federal judge ruled. And lawmakers have repeatedly proposed to expand gaming even more, which could hurt the tribe's enterprise.

The tribe, however, has continued to share revenues. Since 2004, more than $1.75 billion has gone to the state.