Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe of Florida on Nov. 14th, 2007 signed a 25-year pact to allow the tribe to operate Class 3 gaming -- including blackjack and baccarat card games -- at its seven casinos in return for giving the state a minimum of $100 million a year, and perhaps far more.

The deal, which the governor said does not have to be approved by a not-very-supportive Florida Legislature, is the culmination of 16 years of off-and-on negotiations (mostly off) over the Seminole Tribe's gaming rights. But new litigation over the issue seems certain, and the ultimate outcome remains unclear.

''This is a very historic day for the state of Florida and the Seminole Nation,'' Crist said as he signed the pact. And it will be indeed if an agreement has been struck that will finally bring casinos with table games (but with no craps or roulette) to Florida.

But no target launch day for the new games has been announced, and it seems highly unlikely that players will be sitting down to blackjack or baccarat tables in Florida for many months to come.

The agreement gives the Seminoles the exclusive right to operate Class III, or Vegas-style, slot machines outside of the two big South Florida counties of Miami-Dade and Broward, as well as blackjack and baccarat.

The Seminoles, in return, will give Florida $50 million as soon as the federal government approves the compact;  $125 million in the second year the new games are in operation; and $150 million in the third year.

Every year thereafter, the Seminoles guarantee Florida a minimum payment of $100 million with the state promised a sliding percentage of the tribe's net revenue from gambling that could bring the annual payout to more than $500 million.

The governor emphasized that he signed the pact only because the federal government set a deadline ''that without a compact tomorrow, they would allow the tribe to do most of the things that are in the compact today''-- but with no requirement to pay anything to the state.

''I feel it is only responsible of me to make sure I protect the people of Florida that they get the revenues that are generated by this compact that I hope will end up helping education,'' Crist said.

Crist said he would not seek legislative approval for the compact. But the Florida House and Senate leadership are widely expected to pursue a legal challenge based on the argument that only the Legislature can authorize expansion of gambling.

The state also seems likely to be sued by the four parimutuels in Broward County that currently are allowed to offer Class 3 slots, but not table games. The parimutuels pay a 50 percent tax to the state, and seem certain to argue that the arrangement with the Seminoles puts them at a huge disadvantage.

Here is a copy of the news release issued by Gov. Crist.