Because the way this amendment is worded, and it\u2019s still being analyzed, but once it passes, if it passes, will mean the Legislature is divested of control of this issue, leaving a monopoly for the Seminole Tribe, and their continued payments to the state of Florida in jeopardy,\u201d Galvano added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Florida has been attempting to come to a resolution with the Seminoles for several years, even before the tribe\u2019s previous compact expired in 2015. A proposed revenue deal that would have been worth $3 billion to the state over seven years was rejected by the Seminoles last year.<\/p>\n
Banking on a Ruling<\/h2>\n
The legislature\u2019s hand has already been weakened by a federal court judgment in late 2016, which ruled that gaming regulators had violated the original compact by permitting Florida\u2019s parimutuel venues to offer banked games (those played directly against the house or a designated player), such as blackjack.<\/p>\n
The state believed that so-called designated player games, like Three-Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold \u2019em, did not constitute banked games. But the Seminoles, as well as the judge, disagreed, saying whether against the house or a designated player, they are all banked games. According to the ruling, the violation gave the Seminoles the legal right to offer banked games exclusively until 2030.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cThere is the possibility that, with the designated-player game issue not resolved, that the tribe may elect to stop paying. They have not told me that, but that\u2019s a real possibility,\u201d said Galvano, adding that the tribal operator\u2019s willingness to continue to make millions of dollars in payments was entirely \u201ccontingent on their satisfaction\u201d with state\u2019s ability to police games and protect its monopoly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A constitutional amendment in Florida that would put voters in control of any future gambling expansion would be damaging for the state, an influential lawmaker warned Tuesday. The bill\u00a0has been largely bankrolled by Disney and the Seminoles, both major Florida business influences, with the Native American tribe currently controlling the vast majority of the state’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":68070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Florida Senator Bill Galvano Against Seminole, Disney-Backed Bill<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n