There is always a but isn't there?  While U.S. officials have approved the compact Gov. Charlie Crist signed with the Seminole Tribe, it might be a bit longer until we see the Blackjack tables go up in the casinos.

The compact must be published in the Federal Register for it to take effect and the earliest that can happen is Monday.  Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio and Attorney General Bill McCollum have a pending law suit that could block the compact.  They are trying every option possible to speed up the case to be reviewed by a federal judge.   While they are long time gaming opponents...they are claiming they want to be sure that Gov. Crist had proper authority to make such an agreement with the Seminoles.

The compact would allow all of the Seminole casinos in the state of Florida to change over to the Class III (Vegas Style) slots.  As a bonus to the tribe and also to allow the state to collect on some of the revenue, Crist added the option of select table games.  (These games include Blackjack and Baccarat.) 

While the class III slots were bound to happen anyway (since Broward County now had them)...this compact allows exclusive rights to the table games.  The tribe would then begin some sort of payment to the state based on revenue collected.  If gaming expands in the state later...and full casinos are allowed, there is an 'escape' clause in the compact that would allow the tribe to stop payments to the state.

I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings in the gaming saga.