Indian Casinos In Florida

There are actually two Seminole Hard Rock casinos in the state of Florida. These are both considered to be the tribe’s flagships, though they each bring something unique to the table.

The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is in Tampa (Central FL, on the Gulf), while the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is in Hollywood, near Miami on the Atlantic at the tip of the FL peninsula.

Both casinos were established in 2004, with the Tampa venue having the sixth largest gaming floor in the world and the Hollywood venue having more recreational and “tourist” amusements, including the famous Hard Rock casino guitar hotel tower.

Nope!

Unlike many Vegas casinos, the Hard Rock casinos in FL do not have free alcoholic beverages – or “comped drinks” – available to players. However, soft drinks are free when playing on the gambling floor, which is probably better, anyway.

After all, when you’re gambling in the Sunshine State, you’ll want to keep your wits – and your sunny disposition – about you.

Not yet.

There are no roulette tables at casinos in Florida, but the game is now included in the new 2021 tribal compact that governs the Seminole’s Class III venues. It is unclear when these games will hit the floors, however.

In the meantime, you can play video roulette at gambling terminals on the gaming floors at both Hard Rock locations.

Video roulette uses reliable, trustworthy random number generation (RNG) technology to provide accurate results. This is the same technology used by reputable overseas betting sites that operate outside of FL and US jurisdiction.

Once again, not yet.

Craps, along with roulette, was the other form of traditional casino gaming that was not allowed for by the state’s previous gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The new 2021 compact has allowances for live craps table games, however.

Currently, patrons at Seminole casinos can play electronic craps, which is powered by RNG technology to ensure a fair “shake” of the dice.

Still, because traditional craps uses dice thrown by actual players, the betting experience mimics wagering on the shooter, but not being the shooter yourself.

Hopefully, both craps and roulette will be launched in Florida soon.

Yes, in designated areas limited to the gaming floor.

The Florida Clean Indoor Act requires indoor casinos, jai alai frontons, bingo halls, dog tracks, and all other such locations to be non-smoking.

However, because the Seminole casinos are on sovereign tribal land, they are exempt from the mandate and allow their patrons to smoke.

Tribal casinos in Florida – and the rest of the united states – are governed by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, or IGRA.

The IGRA laid the groundwork for the legalization of tribal casinos for those tribes that qualify, and it defines all tribal gaming as one of three categories: Class I, Class II, and Class III.

In Florida, the six Seminole casinos are Class III venues, operating under the IGRA and a state compact.

The sole Class II casino in the state, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, operates under the federal IGRA entirely and does not need a state compact due to the limited game selection offered.

No.

Tribal casinos in the US do not pay federal income taxes on their operations’ revenues, which are estimated at north of $27 billion nationwide.

In FL, there is no state income tax, so the Seminole and Miccosukee do not have to pay those, either.

However, until recently, the Seminole had an agreement with the FL government to pay the state a portion of its slot revenue (this sort of revenue sharing is common among tribal casinos throughout the US), which amounted to some $350-400 million per year.

Unfortunately, the state was judged to have violated the tribal compact, and the Seminole have withheld these payments since 2018.

Update: In 2021, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the state of Florida signed a new updated compact that restores the above slot shares, which are estimated to generate $500 million annually for FL.

Mostly, this money goes to the tribe’s coffers and supports the governance of the tribe’s people on its reservation(s). Many tribes also give their citizens a stipend out of this revenue.

In the cases where tribes share their profits with the state, the state typically earmarks such proceeds for educational initiatives.

Casinos are built on Indian reservations thanks to the IGRA (1988), which was a federal law that determined such operations to be lawful due to the sovereign status of tribal nations.

The IGRA was born of two court cases. Byran v. Itasca County was a 1970s case that determined states could not levy property taxes on tribal land.

Another case, from the mid-1980s, was California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, which held that the operation of the tribe’s bingo hall on sovereign land could not be prohibited by state law.

These two cases led to the IGRA, giving recognized tribes the authority to host Class I and II gaming without any state permission, as well as Class III gaming as agreed to via state compacts.