Seminole Indians hit the jackpot with controversial Florida gambling deal
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Seminole tribe controls six casinos in Florida and six more in other states, Canada and the Dominican Republic. It's poised to take exclusive control of the largest legal sports betting operation in the country thanks to a deal cut this spring with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida legislature. The arrangement will generate $6 billion for the state through 2030. Critics say it's a blatant move to circumvent federal law governing Indian gaming. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland must approve or reject the compact within 45 days.
Seminoles were living in scattered villages when Juan Ponce de León arrived in 1513 and claimed the territory for Spain. Most of the Seminole tribe was captured by the U.S. military in 1830 and sent to Oklahoma. They escaped into the River of Grass and fended off soldiers in guerrilla wars. Seminol's elected a tribal council and ratified a constitution in 1957 to win federal recognition as a sovereign nation. In 1979, they opened the nation's first Native American high-stakes bingo hall in Hollywood. The venue was a dumpy building on their reservation in Fort Lauderdale.
