Casino where Smith collapsed at center of Seminole empire

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, where Anna Nicole Smith suffered her fatal collapse Thursday, is a centerpiece in a growing gambling and entertainment empire owned by an Indian tribe that once made its money selling roadside cigarettes.

Smith had visited the hotel at least twice previously -- for a boxing match last month and her birthday in 2005, a hotel spokeswoman said.

The complex opened in 2004 on the Hollywood reservation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, just south of Fort Lauderdale. The complex includes a 130,000 square foot casino, about 10 restaurants, another 10 nightclubs and 25 retail shops and is packed most nights, becoming one of South Florida's most popular attractions. The tribe was scheduled to begin its four-day, 36th Annual Seminole Tribal Fair, Pow Wow & Rodeo there Thursday.

It and a similar complex in Tampa were a springboard to the tribe's $965 million purchase of the Hard Rock business empire, which was announced Dec. 7.

The deal, which marked the first time an American Indian tribe had bought a major international corporation, included 124 Hard Rock Cafes, four Hard Rock Hotels, two Hard Rock Casino Hotels, two Hard Rock Live! concert venues and stakes in three unbranded hotels. It is being challenged in court by a Maryland corporation, The Cordish Co., which claims the bidding was rigged.

The Seminoles -- the first U.S. tribe to get into the gambling business -- are descendants of the Creek people. They spent decades fighting their forced removal out of Florida, battling Andrew Jackson and other prominent U.S. generals. President Tyler ordered the end of military actions against the Seminoles in May 1842, and the tribe never surrendered to the United States. Florida's remaining Seminoles settled in rural areas near Lake Okeechobee and in South Florida.

After selling tax-free tobacco products, the tribe opened a bingo hall in 1979 in Hollywood. The move survived legal challenges from the state over the tribe's right to be in the gambling business, which led to other casinos on reservations in Florida and opened the door for tribal gambling across the nation.

Today, the Seminoles have about 3,300 members living on and off Florida reservations and all of them receive payments of several thousand dollars a month due to the success of casinos.

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