The Miami Herald reports that legislation that would have put a casino in Miami and also allowed the Seminoles to expand their casino offerings has fallen by the wayside.

The complex gambling expansion bill has been declared dead by lawmakers, as the current legislative session ends this week. Florida’s potential deal with the Seminoles, who run seven casinos in the state, also was part of the legislation. Allowing slot machines in a handful of additional counties was another component of the measure. The slot machine issue was highly debated by lawmakers.

Part of the reason the efforts failed was because there were competing versions in the House and Senate. Some of the gaming expansion issues are playing out through the courts.

The tribe, which has a blackjack monopoly in the state, is currently operating those games without a state compact. The previous one expired last year and both the tribe and the state have been trying to reach a new deal. Tribal gaming is regulated by the federal government.

The legislation would have allowed the tribe to continue blackjack and keep the monopoly in exchange for $3 billion to the state over the next seven years.

The bill’s author called the effort to appease all gaming interests as “three-dimensional chess.”

 

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