Indian casinos in Florida seek expansion after vote on slots

Jackie Hallifax

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 | 11:15 a.m.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Seminole Tribe notified Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday that it wants to negotiate an agreement to have full-fledged traditional slot machines.

The tribe argued that it is entitled to slots because voters statewide and in Broward County have approved slot machines at four Broward tracks and jai-alai frontons.

The Seminole Tribe has electronic bingo machines in its casinos in Coconut Creek, Hollywood, Fort Pierce, Brighton, Immokalee and Tampa. The Miccosukee Tribe, which has a similar casino west of Miami, asked Bush to begin negotiations just a few days after voters statewide approved the ballot measure in November.

Under federal law, those tribal machines are considered "Class II" gambling machines and slots are considered "Class III" like craps, roulette and blackjack.

That same federal law gives tribal nations the right to negotiate an agreement with states to have any form of Class III gambling that is permitted in a state.

Elections were held in Broward and Miami-Dade counties two weeks ago to decide the question of slots. Miami-Dade voters said no.

Now state lawmakers are struggling to decide how to regulate and tax slots, with the tax revenue dedicated to schools across the state by terms of the November ballot language.

One issue that faces lawmakers is whether the constitutional amendment approved in November requires full-fledged slot machines like those found in Las Vegas and Atlantic City -- or whether the state can define slots as a Class II machine.

One of the top advocates for the pari-mutuel industry, Jim Horne, said Tuesday that the industry is willing to talk about settling for the lower-classified machines -- if lawmakers approve regulations and a level of taxation that allows the pari-mutuels to develop "first-class entertainment complexes."

Besides tax rate, other issues important to the industry include hours of operation and number of machines.

Horne, a former state senator, said nothing is settled but all things are on the table -- including settling for Class II even though the industry thinks it's entitled to the traditional slot machines.

"It's not so much about Class II versus Class III as it is the overall business plan," Horne said.

If the Legislature does opt for Class II machines over Class III, Bush may be strengthened in his negotiations with the tribes, said Rep. Frank Attkisson, a Kissimmee Republican who chairs the House Business Regulation Committee.

"I've heard the industry may not have heartburns with Class II," Attkisson said.

But he said he hasn't yet heard what the industry would want in return in terms of hours of operation and number of machines.

"This is a big teeter-totter," Attkisson said.

His counterpart, Sen. Dennis Jones, said he hasn't heard anything from the industry about settling for Class II -- and he said he believes the language of the ballot measure requires traditional slot machines.