The staff is happy to guide you to a seat in the poker room. If you smoke, they set up a side table and ash tray. They bring drinks. Even on weekday mornings, the parking lot fills early. The air is thick with smoke and compulsion.
Nobody talks much.
If any of the patrons are mulling over their small role in a titanic legal clash involving the Constitution, the powers of the U.S. Congress, the rights of states, and the role of American Indian peoples, they are keeping it to themselves. Yet that's the most important thing happening in the Seminole Gaming Palace. The Seminoles would like to expand to full casino gambling, such as slot machines, blackjack, roulette or craps. Officially, casino gambling is illegal in Florida. And the state has absolutely refused to deal.