When Governor Charlie Crist bucked Florida’s anti-gambling tradition and brokered a revenue-sharing deal with the Seminoles last month, it looked like a win-win. The compact calls for an annual minimum of $100 million to the State for 25 years, with the tribe’s payments eventually based on a sliding scale of 10 to 25 percent of gambling profits. In exchange, the Seminoles’ seven casinos get blackjack, baccarat and Vegas-style slot machines. But some say the agreement gives the Seminoles too many escape clauses from making payments, too little state regulation and oversight, and too many exclusivity provisions on the Class II slots wanted by Florida’s struggling pari-mutuels. Is the new gambling compact a feast for the Seminoles and a famine for the State? Join the Tower Forum for a cards-on-the-table debate.

Speakers:

Alan Koslow, Shareholder, Becker & Poliakoff, will speak in support of the compact as a fair deal that appropriately benefits the State and the Seminoles. Mr. Koslow is a leading legal expert in entertainment, gaming, pari-mutuel and sports law. He and his firm have represented national, publicly-traded casinos and lottery companies, gaming machine manufacturers and distributors, and pari-mutuel operators.

Michael Mayo, Columnist, Sun-Sentinel, will argue against the compact as a lopsided deal that gives the Seminoles too much control and exclusivity while severely limiting the State’s future gambling revenue growth. Mr. Mayo has been a member of the Sun-Sentinel staff for more than 18 years. His news column currently appears every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.