Following several months of discussions, talks between the Seminole Tribe and Governor Jeb Bush have ended without a resolution. When Broward County won the right to place Class III machines at its four pari-mutuel venues, it made the gaming tribes in Florida able to upgrade from Class II machines under federal law. However a compact between state governor and tribe, negotiating in good faith, must be agreed. Most compacts include some profits from the operations going into state coffers, as well as regulatory oversight.

The Seminole Tribe in Florida has the very successful Hard Rock Hotel & Casino operations in Tampa and Hollywood, as well as three further venues. The Miccosukee Tribe has one operation in Miami-Dade. The breakdown in negotiations means that the Bureau of Indian Affairs will deal with the matter. In the past the BIA has rejected state proposals as excessive when seeking more than 15% of tribal gaming revenue. Governor Bush is notorious for his anti-gambling stance and fought against allowing slot machines in Broward County. By failing to reach an agreement with the Seminoles, Florida is losing gaming revenue.

The Seminole Tribe in 1979 became the first federally recognized Indian tribe to operate a high-stakes bingo operation on a reservation. After being threatened with closure by the Broward authorities, the tribe sued and won in the US Court of Appeal, the first important decision in a modern Indian gaming case. However, they lost a further case in the Supreme Court when it ruled that tribes cannot force states to negotiate gaming compacts. (E-04.10.06)

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