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Tribal-run Gaming Grows Despite State Efforts to Stop It9 July 2000MIAMI, FLORIDA -- July 9, 2000 - As reported by the Miami Herald: "…This past week's news that the Seminoles are planning a $300 million complex on reservation land in Hollywood is only the latest example of an industry that has grown into a multimillion dollar business statewide. Indian-run casinos are located on Krome Avenue in Miami-Dade County, and at Hollywood and Coconut Creek in Broward County. Others are in Brighton (near Lake Okeechobee), Tampa and Immokalee. "Such gaming enterprises are illegal, contends Attorney General Bob Butterworth, who has watched powerlessly as courts continue to rebuff Florida's efforts to regulate the rapidly expanding industry. The state has been unable to sign an agreement, or compact, with the Seminoles, or with the Miccosukees, who operate the massive casino and hotel along Krome Avenue in Miami-Dade. "…Federal law is unclear when it comes to stating what can happen on reservation land. So, ''if it is unclear, then you rule for the Indians,'' Butterworth said. "…The 2,500-member [Seminole] tribe's decision to add a gaming resort to the existing bingo casino on the Hollywood reservation is the latest in a string of successful business ventures. "…Mom and pop gamblers who flock in droves to the casinos have made the once-impoverished tribe relatively rich. In 1997, according to a Seminole publication, Hollywood bingo earned the tribe $87 million on revenues of $143 million. "…`'A $300 million resort right in the heart of eastern Broward is a huge project,' Butterworth said. 'It will have major impact on county life, especially for owners of dog tracks, jai alai frontons and horse racing who could see their parimutuel take shrink.' "…The Indian Gaming Commission oversees 309 casinos operated by tribes in 28 states. Its task is to curb corruption, ensure that Indian tribes are the primary beneficiaries of revenues, and assure that gaming is conducted honestly by both operators and players, said Kyle Nayback, director of Congressional Public Affairs. "…When Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt proposed regulations last year that would have allowed the Interior Department to be an arbiter of gambling disputes between the state and tribal organizations, Butterworth sued in federal court. "…Because the issue is unresolved, the Indian Gaming Commission has taken a hands-off approach..." |