The first dice have been rolled and wheels spun as craps and roulette officially launched in Florida at Hollywood’s Seminole Classic Casino Thursday morning, capping off an elaborate ceremony featuring drumming, feathered dancers and cockatoos.
But for the Seminoles, Thursday was also a serious affair. It marked a turning point amid ongoing legal battles and another example of the tribe’s continued prosperity despite the obstacles thrown in its path.
“There’s been a lot of Seminole Wars,” said Chris Osceola, a tribal councilman who represents Hollywood, in a speech in one of the casino’s slot machine-filled rooms Thursday morning. “And to me this is no different.”
He was referring to the lawsuits that have sought to stop the gaming compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe since the agreement was signed in 2021. The compact gave the tribe the authority to launch mobile and in-person sports betting, as well as craps and roulette, at all of its casinos.
After the compact was signed, he recalled leaving Tallahassee “hooting and cheering” over what was to come. Then the lawsuits arrived, forcing the tribe to a halt.
Finally, last month, both the U.S Supreme Court and Florida Supreme Court ruled against suspending the compact while two cases continue, opening a tentative door for Thursday’s launch. Both cases could see conclusions as soon as this month, but that didn’t seem to deter anyone.
“Once again, the tribe has prevailed,” Hard Rock Chairman Jim Allen told the Sun Sentinel ahead of the ceremony Thursday. “And we mean that with a very humble mindset.”
The launch wasn’t only anticipated by the tribe. Local gamblers who had also waited for this day to arrive joined celebrities and members of the tribe at the casino around 10 a.m., then had to wait again for the ceremony to conclude before they could crowd around the new craps and roulette tables.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Eric Sonnabend as he threw $400 on the newly inaugurated craps table Thursday, the first real game of the day.
Moments prior, Seminole Tribe Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. had taken the first dice out of a white satin box at that table and rolled an eleven.
Sonnabend was waiting for craps to start in Florida so he didn’t have to travel to Vegas to play, something he does often. As others joined him at the table, he became a sort of impromptu teacher, explaining the rules.
The convenience and lack of a need for Vegas was a common theme among other attendees, including Miami Marlins coach Jon Jay.
“I don’t have to go to Vegas anymore,” he said.
The launch didn’t only draw gambling aficionados. Bill Condoulis moved to Hollywood from Brooklyn two years ago, so the casinos are in his neighborhood. He doesn’t consider himself a gambler, he said, but he comes once a month because it’s nearby and allows himself to bet $500.
As players waited impatiently, dealers adjusted to the real-life game for the first time. Rebeca Ynde, who lives in Tamarac, became a dealer only a year ago. She handled the ceremonial roulette spin, also her first live game, doling thousands out to tribe officials as the crowd watched. Afterwards, she said she was “a good nervous.”
The tribe has hired over 1,000 new employees, many of them as dealers, to prepare for the launch. Other employees at the ceremony Thursday had been around for decades.
Sharon Carrero, 65, received a special shout-out at the ceremony for spending close to 44 years as an employee at the Classic Casino, beginning as a bingo clerk when it was just a bingo hall in the 1980s.
She saw the Classic Casino go through all of its evolutions, but in some ways, Thursday was “the last frontier,” Carrero said. “It’s come full circle.”
The same launches are taking place Thursday at the Coconut Creek casino around 1 p.m., then the Hollywood Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at 4:30 p.m., which will feature the first sport bet and celebrities including DJ Khaled and Jon Bon Jovi.
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