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Few Win in Florida Tribal Gambling

"The four Seminole casinos -- in Tampa, Hollywood, Immokalee and Brighton -- expected revenues of $497-million in fiscal 1997, according to the tribe's budget projections.

"…But where does all the money pouring into the casinos go?

"…A [St. Petersburg] Times investigation found some of the millions easy to track, and some veiled in mystery and intrigue:

"…For a handful of people, gambling has been a bonanza. The non-Seminole owners of the management companies that run the casinos are very well paid -- an estimated total of $60-million in fiscal 1997.

"A few Seminoles have done well, too. Billie has a 47-foot yacht, owns 20 acres of land in Oklahoma with three working oil wells on it, and has at his disposal the $9-million jet and three helicopters.

"…An increasing slice of the money goes to each of the tribe's 2,500 men, women and children in dividends paid monthly out of gambling revenues.

"For years, the dividend was meager, never exceeding $1,000 a year, but in 1994 it jumped to $12,000. Next month, it will become $18,000. That means a family of four will get $72,000 a year, in addition to any income derived from jobs.

"…Hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone to a few casino patrons who have had incredible runs of luck at Seminole casinos.

"…But the Seminoles' gambling future is far from secure. About three-quarters of the tribe's casino revenues, or more than $300-million a year, come from video slot machines that the federal government regards as illegal. Federal prosecutors have gone to court in an effort to get rid of the machines in Tampa and Immokalee.

"At the same time, the tribe is facing demands from some members for a greater share of the gambling profits through higher monthly dividends.

"…The rise in the Seminoles' fortunes has been rapid. As recently as 20 years ago, many tribal members still lived in thatched-roof chickee huts. They were the descendants of a few hundred Seminoles who had retreated deep into the Everglades in the mid-1800s after three wars with the U.S. government.

"It was a bleak existence. In 1979, Chairman Howard Tommie oversaw a tribal budget of just $400 a member. Federal aid was the main source of revenue.

"…It is only in the past three years that the gambling dividend has been large enough to significantly improve the average tribal member's standing. As a result, many are just now emerging from poverty.

"…Unemployment remains high. By the tribe's estimation, it may be 20 percent. Few Seminoles have jobs outside the reservations; 70 to 80 percent are employed in tribal businesses, Billie estimates.

"…The paucity of information about the tribe's finances has provoked criticism of Billie's leadership by tribal members at times. Are there unknown millions sitting in tribal coffers that go to pay for such luxuries as the $9-million jet?

"Billie says the tribe has only `a little bit' in its reserves and defended the aircraft as being necessary for him and other tribal leaders to travel to reservations around the state. Besides, he said, Marcos' plane has appreciated in value, making it a sound investment…"

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