Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics reports this morning the Poarch Band of Creek Indians have formally asked Governor Ron DeSantis’s office for a Gaming Compact and have begun discussions to that end, according to a source involved with the negotiations.
The tribe runs the Wind Creek casinos in Alabama and owns OWA in Baldwin County, Ala. Last year, its affiliate PCI Gaming Authority paid $96 million for Miami’s Magic City Casino.
Schorsch predicts should the state enter into a Gaming Compact with the Tribe, its footprint could substantially expand in the Sunshine State.
He may be right. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians already own the Pensacola Greyhound Track in southwest Escambia County. They have the funds to expand into the Florida Panhandle.
In 2009, County Commissioner Gene Valentino worked on the feasibility of bringing a casino/bingo parlor to the Perdido Key area. He also discussed behind-the-scenes building on Scenic Highway.
