There are seven casinos in Florida, USA, and all are run by the Seminole Tribe. There is a new deal on the table whereby the Seminole Tribe will have to pay the state of Florida $6.8 billion over the next 20 years for the right to offer blackjack tables. The deal is still awaiting approval from the state legislature, but things look promising.

The Seminole Tribe is a Native American group that has self-governing rights in the US, and this gives them the right to own and operate casinos. State laws, however, still determine just how those casinos can be run, and in Florida, Seminole casinos have never been allowed to offer real-money blackjack games.

This seems a big price to pay for exclusive rights to blackjack in the state of Florida, but it would be a benefit to both parties. The state would receive an enormous amount of extra income, especially since they will also be taking a chunk of the revenue from the games. The money would be then put back into the community. The Seminole Tribe also stands to do well, since blackjack tables would provide a big boost to their already booming business.

Players in Florida who can’t wait for blackjack tables to arrive can play on the internet. There are still many excellent online casinos that accept US players. All offer real-money blackjack games, and some even run tournaments with large cash prizes. There are government officials working right now to change US online gambling laws, and if the internet gambling industry opens up, this could mean huge competition for the Seminole casinos. But at the end of the day, more choice for players is a good thing.