With federal officials inching closer, lawyers for the Seminole Tribe and
the Florida House have resumed informal talks over a gambling compact.
Rep. Bill Galvano, the House's lead negotiator, has spoken with
the Seminole Tribe's chief executive for its gaming operations, Jim Allen
and tribe general counsel Jim Shore. House staff lawyer George
Levesque has also spoken with tribe lawyer Barry Richard.
"There's recognition from both parties that achieving this compact
is a positive,'' Galvano told the Times/Herald on Wednesday. He said
that the National Indian Gaming Commission's recent inquiries into whether the
slot machines that operate like blackjack games entitle the tribe to operate
the blackjack table games have helped spark some movement.
In January, the tribe filed a legal memo with the National Indian Gaming
Commission, arguing that because video blackjack games are now running at Mardi
Gras Casino and Gulfstream Park,
the tribe's games are no different and are therefore clearly allowed by state
law.
Officials for the NIGC inspected the machines at Mardi Gras -- a sign,
Galvano said, that the agency is considering the Florida
situation. He expects NIGC to make a decision soon but meanwhile believes the
agency's presence "is light years away from where we were just a year
ago,'' when the federal government appeared to show no interest in determining
whether the tribe was operating the table games illegally after the Florida
Supreme Court invalidated the compact it negotiated with Gov. Charlie Crist.
Federal law requires the tribe to operate Class III
games such as slot machines only with a valid compact with the state.
Richard said both sides are trying to determine where either side stands
since the House rejected the second attempt at a compact, which the tribe
negotiated with Crist in August.
"Each side is exploring how much they are willing to move,'' he said. "Is the House willing to give the tribe exclusivity?
Is the House willing to allow any of the banked card games? Is the tribe
willing to additional regulatory oversight?''
Here are the documents on the back and forth between the Tribe and the
House on the blackjack question: Download
2-12-10 Seminole Submission on Banked Card Games Download
Attachment A to 2-12-10 Seminole Submission on Banked Card Games Download
Attachment B to 2-12-10 Seminole Submission on Banked Card Games