[naresh8055]

Lawmakers in Florida are kicking the tires on a plan to bring regulated online poker to the state through pari-mutuel facilities. The legislation, if passed, could hurt pari-mutuels much more than it will help.

The Seminole Indians are always the wild card when it comes to gaming in the Sunshine State. By law, the Seminoles are permitted to offer any form of gambling that is legal in the state. That means that if online poker legislation is passed, the Seminoles could automatically earn the right to offer Internet gambling.

Through the course of history, the Seminoles and their team of lawyers have made every attempt to find gaming laws they could exploit. Most recently, the Seminoles began offering blackjack at their Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, despite the fact that they had not completed a compact with the state.

Fearing they would lose in court, the state decided to negotiate a compact, which was completed last year, instead of trying to shut down the blackjack games at the Hollywood casino. The precedent in the state is that the Seminoles will find any and all loopholes in gaming laws.

[Kaabee]

intrastate poker is going to be horrible with the small player pools