Las Vegas bonus

Slot Class III machines

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has sued governors, petitioned presidents and have been waiting two decades to present Las Vegas-style slot machines at its casinos. The hurdles are high: The tribe must first enter into an agreement, or compact, with a governor who is fiercely determined to limit gambling. By all appearances, the irresistible success of the tribe's Hard Rock casinos in Hollywood and Tampa indicates they're not aching for business.

''The governor's announcement that he is committed to achieving a quick and fair concord offers novel expectations that a solid can be achieved,'' Gary Bitner, spokesman for the Seminole Tribe, said in a statement to The Miami Herald. The Seminoles will continue to pursue the substitute track they have taken since 1999, when they petitioned federal authorities to allow the tribe to offer Class III slot machines and other casino games such as blackjack, roulette, craps and keno, without a state packed together, he said.