TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A skeptical federal judge is criticizing the state agency that oversees gambling in Florida and signaled that he's going to rule in favor of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
A three-day trial that could shape the future of gambling in the state ended Wednesday. But during closing arguments, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle suggested state regulators had violated an existing deal with the tribe.
The state and Seminoles reached an agreement in 2010 that allowed the tribe to offer blackjack at its Florida casinos. But that provision expired last year.
The tribe is arguing that it should get to keep blackjack for another 15 years because regulators allowed horse and dog tracks to offer card games that mimicked games offered at the Seminole casinos.
If Hinkle rules in favor of the tribe, the state could lose out on millions the Seminoles are now paying.
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