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

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

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

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

But while the name regarding 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 edges.

Compact Included rights that are exclusive Banked Card Games

Whenever the compact had been first agreed to, it included a five-year guarantee of exclusivity over banked card games.

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

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

However the state legislature neglected to 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 failed to achieve an accord himself last year.

In line with the letter, the Seminoles believe 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 say, they will be under no obligation to carry on payments that are making the state due to just what they believe are violations of this exclusivity agreement.

Electronic Games, Player-Backed Offerings at Issue

At problem are two kinds of games that exist at some parimutuel facilities throughout the state. The Seminole Tribe believes that these two games go against 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 therefore are common at parimutuel locations.

These games operate exactly like their table game versions, but utilize random number generators and are thus categorized as slot machines.

There’s also a presssing issue with Three Card Poker games which can be utilized at some racetrack casinos. In these games, a ‘designated player’ backs the game instead compared to house, but the Seminoles say that around the world, player-banked card games are believed 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 thus far elected to carry on making its re payments to the state and, as a motion of good faith, promises to carry on making its re payments to your state pending the quality with this dispute,’ Billie had written.

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

‘From a legal strategy viewpoint, it’s planet 7 casino oz a good strategy,’ stated Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), who helped work on the compact. ‘I disagree with the arguments that they are making, but it at the very least gives them a methodology that is procedural negotiate with the state.’