Florida now has Vegas-style gambling
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
Published Mon Jun 23, 2008, 11:25 AM MDT
Updated Mon Jun 23, 2008, 11:25 AM MDT
Visitors heading to Florida for beaches, theme parks and tours of NASA's Cape Canaveral have a new attraction - gambling.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino anted up its first games of blackjack in Florida on Sunday.
Bets up to $10,000 can be made in a special high-limit room. The new games at the casino are all bank games, which allow players to bet against the house. "We've been very successful here with our Class 2 and Class 3 slots and poker, but now we actually offer true Las Vegas-style table games with blackjack, baccarat, Red Dog, Let It Ride and all those games that you find in Las Vegas or Atlantic City," said Jim Allen, the CEO of Seminole Gaming.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida had sought the Vegas-style games at its casinos in the state for 17 years before signing a compact in November with the governor. When the deal was approved in January, the tribe gave a $50 million contribution to the state, and it will give another $50 million contribution in its first year.
