Just when it looked like the casino train was going to leave the station without him, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has opened compact renegotiations with the Seminole Tribe. The latter would 
like to keep blackjack and baccarat, Scott would surely like to keep the $234 million the Seminoles guarantee the state every year. Is he willing to take less in return for allowing Vegas-style casinos for the private sector or would he preserve Seminole exclusivity in return for more money? None of the above, perhaps? Scott’s not talking. One suggestion is that Scott might split the baby by preserving the Seminoles’ Class III status in Tampa but allow greater private-sector competition in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He’s on a couple of leashes, having taken $250,000 from Sheldon Adelson and twice that from the Seminoles. However, the Seminole Tribe “looks forward to a positive outcome” and its payments to the state hit the $1 billion mark a year ahead of schedule. So does Scott risk the bird in the hand for the two (Genting Group and Las Vegas Sands) lurking in the bush? The state-tribal relationship in Florida is a delicate formula that seems to be working well for all concerned. Scott will need to proceed with caution.
Well, that was quick. Just when it looked like casino gambling was within a few votes of passage in New Hampshire‘s House of Representatives, the House Ways & Means Committee shot it down. Considering the ongoing march toward casino gambling in Massachusetts, this seems a very short-sighted vote. As it flutters into the waste paper basket, the bill undoubtedly can but sigh, “Wait ’til next session.” In a similarly grumpy vein, the city council of Saratoga Springs, in New York State, unanimously cast a non-binding, anti-casino measure, following 90 minutes of color-coded debate. That sends a bit of an odd message, considering that Saratoga Casino & Raceway is a frontrunner for one of the state’s four casino expansions.
Revel Resort got hit with one of the stranger regulatory reprimands ever received: a fine for transmitting a wedding over in-house video channels. Despite showing a cavalier attitude toward a slew of mandatory notifications, Revel was fined just $2,500. Borgata paid a much stiffer tab for not being able to spot underage gamblers.
Congratulations to MGM Resorts International for being the only casino company named to the Women’s Business National Enterprise Council‘s honor roll of best places for women to do business. Now, where’s the rest of the gaming industry?
