Deal the Cards: Feds OK Blackjack and Baccarat at Seminole Casinos

The U.S. Department of the Interior has given final approval to Florida's gambling compact with the Seminole tribe. That means the Indian casinos can start dealing blackjack and other banked card games such as baccarat.

The tribe also won exclusive rights to Vegas-style slot machines except in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where voters already approved slots.

The Seminoles' new deal could be challenged by pari-mutuels after it expires in five years. Though the "racinos" were thrown a bone by the Legislature, which allowed them (and the tribe) to offer no-limit poker and longer cardroom hours starting July 1, the tracks feel suckered.

While the Seminoles figure to pay the state $1 billion in gaming taxes during the life of the compact, pari-mutuels complain that the Indians' effective tax rate remains far lower than theirs.

In any event, this game is far from over.