Tomorrow, 1st May, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa will launch over 700 new slot machines. On 22 April the tribal operators switched on 56 of the Las Vegas style Class III gaming machines, but the fact remained unadvertised to avoid queues at the new faster slots. By the end of May some 1,675 Class III machines will be running – about half the total machines in the casino.

In November the Seminole celebrated the opening of a US$120 million casino expansion, bringing the gaming floor to an area of 150,000 square feet. Two more restaurants were added and a new parking garage. The new, two-story wing of the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa boasts the WonderWall, an intriguing, US$2 million dollar interactive water feature composed of crystalline water and a state-of-the-art projection system which emblazons video onto the sheeting water as it runs down its clear walls.

With seven casinos in Florida, the Seminole have ordered 15,000 new slot machines. Today the Hard Rock Hollywood is moving its poker tables to a new 12,000 square feet Seminole Paradise Poker Room offering no-limit Texas Hold ‘Em, limit Texas Hold 'Em, Seven Card Stud and two dollar and four dollar limit Omaha Hi Lo games in a more private environment.

The casino is also the first in Florida to introduce Multi-Area Progressive Jackpot Slots. The new IGT and Bally slots give players the opportunity to play for a jackpot of a million dollars or more as they are linked to other Native American casinos across the country. Eventually all the Seminole casinos will offer these slots.

Other news from Florida indicates that House and Senate leaders working on next year's state budget finished negotiations last Sunday. They finalised US$5 billion in cuts that now need approval from the House, Senate and Governor. A $3.9 million budget proposal from the governor to purchase 10,000 new ticket vending machines for the Florida Lottery was rejected, but they agreed not to decrease advertising for the game as it would have affected sales. (E-04.30.08)

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