The Seminole Tribe is able to play hardball with the state of Florida within the incapacity of state leaders to negotiate exclusivity for the tribe’s gambling operations.

And if the continuing state doesn’t respond quickly, the Seminoles say they’re ready to play without them.

Seminole Tribal Chairman James Billie delivered a letter to mention officials telling them that Florida has thirty days to attain a new agreement with the tribe over their exclusive rights to work banked card games such as blackjack.

The letter was a very bureaucratically named ‘notice of commencement of compact dispute resolution procedures,’ an apparatus that has been included in the 20-year-compact agreed to between Florida and the tribe in 2010.

But while the name for the procedure may enough sound innocuous, the truth is the fact that this dispute is over major issues and a ton of cash on both sides.

Compact Included rights that are exclusive Banked Card Games

Whenever the compact was first agreed to, it included a guarantee that is five-year of over banked card games.

The exclusivity extended to five of the seven casinos operated by the Seminoles; in exchange, the tribe would pay the state at least $1 billion on the five years.

The payments to the continuing state are slated to avoid if other people is allowed to own games, which led both sides to seek an extension of the agreement.

Nevertheless the state legislature did not approve a deal during their session earlier in the day this season, and negotiations between Republican leaders and the tribe have not borne fruit after Governor Rick Scott didn’t reach an accord himself last year.

In line with the letter, the Seminoles think over the exclusivity that they can continue to offer their games even if the state fails to come to an agreement with them.

Moreover, they state, they could be under no obligation to continue payments that are making the state due to exactly what they believe are violations of that exclusivity agreement.

Electronic Games, Player-Backed Offerings at Issue

At issue are two forms of games that exist at some parimutuel facilities through the entire state. The Seminole Tribe believes that both these games not in favor of the nature and the letter of their compact.

First, there are electronic versions of roulette and blackjack that have been authorized by gambling regulators and are common at parimutuel locations.

These games run exactly like their table game variations, but use number that is random and are thus categorized as slot machines.

Additionally a presssing issue with Three Card Poker games that are utilized at some racetrack casinos. In these games, a ‘designated player’ backs the game rather compared to the house, but the Seminoles say that across the country, player-banked cards are considered to be banked games just as much as any casino-backed game.

The tribe says why these games are enough to break the exclusivity agreement in the compact.

‘ While the tribe could have exercised its right to [stop its payments to the continuing state] immediately, it has so far elected to carry on making its re payments to your state and, as a motion of good faith, intends to continue making its re payments to your state pending the resolution of the dispute,’ Billie wrote.

While the tribe method well mean to go through along with their threats if an agreement cannot be reached, some believe the move is really meant to force the state government to obtain additional serious about negotiating a deal.

‘From a strategy that is legal, it’s a good strategy,’ stated Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), who helped focus on the compact. ‘I disagree with the arguments that they are making, but it at the least gives them a procedural methodology to negotiate with the state.’