Scott, Seminole Tribe agree on deal for gambling cash payments to state

TALLAHASSEE — As legislative leaders hold talks on revamping the gambling industry, Gov. Rick Scott announced a deal Wednesday in which the Seminole Tribe will continue to pay more than $300 million a year in casino money to Florida. The tribe would keep making the payments, which are rooted in a 2010 gambling pact, through the 2019 legislative session. In exchange, the tribe would continue to have exclusive rights to offer games such as blackjack at its casinos and would continue to be the state’s only slot-machine operator outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

“Today, I am proud to announce that the state of Florida has reached an agreement with the Seminole Tribe which ensures the tribe’s current commitment remains intact,” Scott, who will leave office in January after eight years, said in a prepared statement. “Since I took office, the Seminole compact [the 2010 agreement] has generated more than $1.75 billion which has helped our state make historic investments in things like Florida’s education and environment. ”

The announcement did little to scuttle talks between House and Senate leaders as they try to craft a sweeping gambling bill before the 2018 election, when voters decide whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to expand gambling. If approved, it’d give voters control of future gambling expansions, something now largely controlled by the Legislature. Rep. Jose Oliva and Sen. Bill Galvano, who will take over as House speaker and Senate president after the fall elections, have been in talks for weeks — without the Seminoles — about a possible special session on the gambling issue.