In Florida, USA, two blackjack players are using the legally tenuous status of Seminole Hard Rock Casino blackjack to file a lawsuit after losing big. The Florida Supreme Court has recently ruled that it is not legal for the casino to offer blackjack, while the Seminole tribe insists that since federal approval has already been given they do not require state approval to host blackjack games.
If it can be proven that the money was lost through illegal gambling, the two players can recover their losses, but an additional complication is that they cannot file a lawsuit against the Seminole tribe directly since they are a sovereign nation. Instead, the lawsuit targets surrounding parties such as Chipco Intl., who provide the Hard Rock Casino’s chips, Clear Channel Outdoor, who promoted Hard Rock’s blackjack games, and Bally Technology. Of course, the entire lawsuit depends on the illegality of Seminole blackjack, which is an issue the state of Florida has failed to clearly sort out for itself so far. So good luck with that…
