If there’s one thing the American government is good at (aside from taking people’s money), it’s mistreating Native American tribes. Well, Florida has done it again. Today the Florida House rejected a proposal by Governor Charlie Crist that would have allowed the Seminoles to operate blackjack tables in their casinos in exchange for sharing some of the revenue with the state government. The deal was voted down 17-0. This was the second time they reacted this way. Back in 2007, Crist signed a deal that allowed blackjack in Seminole casinos, but the House voided the bill, stating that Crist did not have the authority to offer that deal. (Oh, so suddenly the government cares what they have constitutional authority to do!)

In a separate vote, the House gambling committee voted 15-2 to give extra help to the tribe’s main competitors, allowing pari-mutuels unlimited poker limits, expanded hours of operation and a lower tax rate. So it seems that they’re willing to help anyone but those “red-skinned savages.” Maybe they’re still holding a grudge because the Seminoles have still yet to surrender to the United States.

In another vote, the House decided to invade Seminole territory, burn down their casinos, and steal all of their money… Okay, I made that up. The Seminole tribe has also taken another route in their request for table games, pointing out that some pari-mutuel facilities in Broward County are offering virtual blackjack games. At the tribe’s request, pencil-pushing bureaucrats from the National Indian Gaming Commission took a trip to south Florida yesterday to check out those machines.

Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Indian tribes are allowed to offer any game on their reservation that is allowed elsewhere within the state in which the reservation is located. Therefore, if a racetrack in Florida is allowed to offer blackjack, the Seminoles have the right to offer it as well. Dan Adkins, who operates one of the virtual blackjack games in question, says that the game is more like slots and isn’t really blackjack at all.

This is a legal battle that is likely to rage on and it will be interesting to see how things play out. I doubt that the government will send feds into the reservation to shut down the tribe’s blackjack tables, since the Seminoles don’t take kindly to government men telling them what to do. Whatever happens, one this is for sure. The government doesn’t have the best interest of the Seminole, blackjack players or taxpayers in mind. They have their own agenda, whatever it may be, and are looking out for themselves.