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Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Could Soon Offer Slot Machines

On April 16th, 2008, the state's lone Las-Vegas style slots facility outside South Florida could open for business soon as next week at Tampa, Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The 725 slot machines will open to the public on May 1st, 2008. But some of the slot machines will be open for customers ten days earlier than the public unveiling, according to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino president John Fontana. Fontana said that they are very excited to offer the new games. The Seminole Indian Tribe received the right to offer the class III games at their seven Florida casino facilities by signing a gaming compact with Governor Charlie Crist and passed by federal officials in January. The casino in Tampa is the biggest in Florida with 3,200 Class II gambling machines.

They look like slot machines but they are really electronic bingo games where players battle it out. Players play against the casino on Las-Vegas style slot machines, which is categorized as Class III machine, which is used in known gaming cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Employees will exchange out seventy-five to one hundred of the old machines a day once the work starts. Fontana expects to feature 1,657 slot machines, half the casino's total by May.

The Indian tribe's first Las-Vegas slot machines were offered at the Hollywood Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in January, followed by their Coconut Creek casino. Three Broward racing tracks already offered slot machines that the voters in the county allowed in a 2005 referendum. The gaming compact with Florida also allows the Seminole Tribe to offer games like blackjack and baccarat.

The tribe is in the middle of hiring 3,650 dealers for their Florida casino facilities. Seminole Gambling Chief Executive Officer Jim Allen said that the brand new card games will be offered at the Hollywood casino facility in June and by late summer or fall in Tampa. The state of Florida is guaranteed to receive at least $100 million from the Seminole Tribe within this year.

But the gambling compact is being questioned by House Speaker Marco Rubio before the Florida Supreme Court, a Republican from West Miami and Senate President Ken Pruitt, a Republican from Port St. Lucie. Both claim that Governor Crist has overused his authority when he approved the gaming compact without the go signal from the legislature. Gary Bitner, the tribe spokesperson said that they have received a lot of customers at their casinos in Broward after an advertising campaign for the Class III slot machines.

 

Wednesday, 07 May 2008
Marissa Patterson