In 1987, the Supreme Court ruled in another case – California v. In 1981, the high court sided with the Tribe, ruling it had the right to operate the high-stakes bingo hall, which ultimately opened the door to Indian gaming throughout the United States. Court of Appeals sided with the Seminoles, the case – Seminole Tribe of Florida v. “Thousands of people lined up to get in while it was still open.”Īfter years of court battles, the existing state laws regulating bingo were ruled irrelevant because of Tribal sovereignty. “Butterworth gave us two days’ notice that they would shut us down,” Chairman Billie said. If we didn’t, we planned to make the building a skating rink.”Īt the time, Chairman Billie’s camp was at the Native Village, across U.S. “We opened in December 1979 and didn’t know if we would survive. “Our attorneys gave us advice that we couldn’t open, but we tried anyway,” Chairman Billie said. The Tribe sued the state, claiming sovereignty rights protected them from state interference by the U.S. When it opened, then-Broward County Sheriff Bob Butterworth immediately tried to shut it down. The Seminoles opened the bingo hall anyway and became the first federally recognized Tribe to operate one on a reservation. When Chairman Billie took office in 1979, he saw a huge opportunity in bingo, even though Florida law only allowed nonprofit bingo halls to open two days a week and have a maximum jackpot of $100. “So we put the least amount of money into the metal building and started bingo, which generated more income than the casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.”įormer Chairman Howard Tommie considered the concept of high-stakes bingo but left office before implementing it. “There were laws in place at that time and we didn’t know if we could stay,” Chairman James E. But from the perspective of the leaders of the time, it was all a gamble – one that paid off in spades for the Seminoles and other Tribes across the United States. Looking back, it’s easy to see the evolution from bingo to the Tribe’s wildly successful and wide-ranging gaming business.

HOLLYWOOD - In 1979, the Tribe’s first foray into high-stakes bingo opened on the site of today’s Classic Casino with an unassuming metal building now, 34 years later, it celebrated a $10-million renovation and continues to be a big draw.

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