The South Florida Sun Sentinel has reported that a federal judge said he's powerless to block the Seminole Tribe from offering blackjack at its casinos, rejecting a lawsuit by The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park.
The Sun Sentinel said lawyers for The Isle and its parent company, PPI Inc., "attempted to sidestep the tribe's sovereign nation status by suing only Gov. Charlie Crist and the federal government over a gambling compact approved in January and invalidated last week by the Florida Supreme Court."
The Sun Sentinel's report said U.S. District Judge Stephan P. Mickle ruled the Seminoles must be included in the suit because any action taken would directly affect the tribe and its 3,200 members.
"Although there is no alternative forum for PPI to litigate its claim, in equity and good conscience this case cannot proceed without the Seminole Tribe," Mickle wrote in the ruling released in Tallahassee on Wednesday.
His decision added: "The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act provides clear and convincing evidence that Congress intended to preclude judicial review," and that Indian tribes have federal protections against interference from the courts.
Jill Haynes, spokeswoman for the Isle of Capri Casinos and PPI, said track executives are weighing their options. "We are evaluating the judge's ruling and will decide what steps to take," Haynes said. About a week earlier Florida's Supreme Court invalidated the gambling compact between Crist and the tribe that allowed the Seminoles to offer blackjack, baccarat and Las Vegas-style slot machines at their seven casinos, which include two within a 45-minute drive of Pompano Park. The Supreme Court said that because those games are illegal everywhere else in the state, only the state legislature could approve such a deal. The compact became official in January. To read the complete Sun Sentinel story, click here.
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