Florida’s Online Blackjack Compact is Dead

Internet blackjack site Online Blackjack is reporting that Florida’s gaming compact with the Seminole Indian tribe is dead after the state’s legislature failed to vote to pass the measure.

The tribe and governor Scott Walker had previously come to an agreement that would have seen the Seminoles holding the exclusive rights to blackjack within Florida, as well as the ability to offer roulette and craps to their customers. In return, the tribe would have paid the state billions of dollars over the next seven years, with extensions reaching up to 20 years.

The measure was voted down though, as politicians played to their constituents, donors, or ideologies, which ran contrary to the various benefits that the bill could allow for. Despite the failure, the tribe and state will end up going back to the drawing board to try and come up with a more palatable resolution, as the Seminoles are continuing to offer blackjack without a deal from the state, which may be a violation of law.

The blackjack compact deal between the state and Seminoles has been a long and complicated affair, as the two groups have been arguing about the matter for almost a year. Last year the original compact expired, and the Seminoles announced their intention to continue offering blackjack in its casinos, as it contends it can do as Florida violated the compact when it allowed other tribes to offer electronic versions of blackjack in their own casinos.

The compact may appear to only benefit the two organizations, but there are currently thousands of jobs at stake. The Seminoles said that if the compact is not passed, more than 3,700 workers could find themselves without employment. Conversely, the tribe has said that if a deal is passed, it will move ahead with a billion dollar new Hard Rock Casino, which will create upwards of 10,000 jobs.

Online Blackjack Odds will update this story as we learn more.