Seminoles Say Pam Bondi Dealt 'Shock'n Y'all' to Gaming Interests

Two Seminole Tribe leaders are praising Attorney General Pam Bondi for her recent opinion that any effort to expand slot-machine gaming in Florida via public referendum is illegal.

James Billie, council chairman, and Tony Sanchez Jr., board president, said Bondi's defense of the state's 2010 gaming compact brought a strong dose of shockn yall to fast-track gaming interests in Gadsden and Washington counties.

Referendums in those areas are scheduled for the end of the month, as well as in Hamilton and Palm Beach counties where similar referenda are being planned for later this year.

Given the highly charged, extremely complicated atmosphere surrounding the so-called destination resorts casino legislation now creeping through the Florida Legislature, it is refreshing that one Florida leader has stepped boldly forward to bring a sense of fair play to this ever-growing shadowy situation, Billie and Sanchez wrote in a Seminole Tribune editorial to be published Jan. 27.

We applaud Attorney General Bondi for her courage in standing up to slot-machine advocates who use faux loopholes in existing Florida laws to gain local support for gaming expansion that is clearly illegal, stated the editorial.

The Tribune also praised state Department of Business and Professional Regulation secretary Ken Lawson, who promised his agency would not license slot machines approved by voters without legal authorization from legislators.

Florida's 20-year gaming compact with the Seminoles, which grants the tribe exclusive rights to Las Vegas-style slots and banked card games, has delivered more than $500 million in casino-share revenues to the state since 2010.