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() TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist approved a deal Wednesday with the Seminole Tribe of Florida to allow Las Vegas-style slots at Indian casinos.
The basic elements of the agreement would allow blackjack and baccarat as well as Las Vegas-style slots in the Hard Rock casinos in Broward County, Tampa and other sites, but no craps or roulette, said Seminole Tribe lawyer Barry Richard.
It would allow a minimum guarantee of $100 million a year for the state with the possibility of more based on gambling revenue, Richard said. The tribe would get the exclusive right to run casino games at their facilities under the agreement, which is expected to be for 25 years.
The U.S. Department of Interior had set a deadline of Thursday for Crist to finish negotiations with the tribe on what types of gambling the casinos could offer. Crist and tribe Chairman Mitchell Cypress signed the deal in Tallahassee.
The deal is complicated by opposition in the Legislature.
House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, has said the plan can't be finalized without legislative approval, and that the House might sue to block it if the chamber doesn't get a say. Several members of the House oppose expanding gambling in Florida.
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