The operator of the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock hotels and casinos told a House committee Monday that the state can immediately use USD 288 million and will soon have another 45,000 jobs if the gambling agreement Gov. Charlie Crist signed with the tribe stays in place. James Allen, the Seminole Gaming CEO and chairman of Seminole Hard Rock International, told a House committee on Monday...

Miami: Visitors to Florida might have a tough time telling whether it's an anything-goes playground or the tip of the Bible Belt. In some spots, you can sunbathe topless, bar-hop around the clock or carry a drink down the street in full public view. Yet until this summer, you couldn't legally play a hand of blackjack — a game allowed in 28 other states, most of them much less dependent on the money blown by tourists.

Even though Governor Charlie Crist had his compact with the Seminole Indians voided, he is still on his way to getting what he wants for the state, expanded gambling options. South Florida casinos are leading the way. Dania Jai-Alai has become the latest establishment to expand the hours of operation for their poker room. Dania Jai-Alai has become the latest establishment to expand the hours of operation for their poker room.

The Florida Supreme Court struck down the gaming compact signed by Governor Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe, throwing into question the table game operations the tribe opened at its casinos only a few weeks ago. The high court, ruling in a lawsuit brought by a state lawmaker, held that Crist overstepped his authority by authorizing the tribe to conduct banked table games including blackjack and baccarat, in addition to the Class III slots to which it was entitled.

A federal judge said he's powerless to block the Seminole Tribe from offering blackjack at its casinos, rejecting a Pompano racetrack's lawsuit while emphasizing the legal hurdles facing anyone tangling with the tribe. Lawyers for The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park and its parent company, PPI Inc., attempted to sidestep the tribe's sovereign nation status by suing only Gov. Charlie Crist and the federal government...

Tallahassee, Florida - A South Florida casino wants a federal judge to stop blackjack and other games at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Lawyers for Isle Casino of Pompano Beach cited last week's Florida Supreme Court ruling that declared unconstitutional the tribe's recent gambling agreement with the state. The filing Monday is part of an ongoing lawsuit filed in federal court in Tallahassee challenging that agreement.

The Florida Supreme Court has overturned an agreement Gov. Charlie Crist signed with the Seminole Tribe to allow Las Vegas-style slot machines, baccarat, black jack and other card games at its facilities, which include the Hard Rock casinos in Tampa and Hollywood. The court ruled that Crist does not have the constitutional authority "to bind the state to a gaming compact that clearly departs from the state's public policy by legalizing types of gaming that are illegal everywhere else in the state."