HOLLYWOOD (CBS4) ― There are still jackpots to be had at casinos around South Florida, but with a struggling economy, the patrons of some casinos are finding it hard to find the money to gamble.

"Mortgages are going up, interest is going up, gas food, you know everything is going up," said Annie, a local casino patron. "So by the time you take care of your household needs, you don't have anything left."

The lack of disposable income for many across the area creates a problem for some casinos, which have to lay off employees when less money is being taken in. And for casinos in more remote areas, the price of gas compounds the issue.

"People gotta fill up their tank and drive here. I think they're going to go where it's more convenient to gamble," said Dan Adkins of Mardi Gras Gaming.

But, one casino seems to be bucking the trend, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. Blackjack tables opened up for the first time over the weekend, and even with the $100 million due to the state of Florida in the first year of card games allowed, the Casino believes it can still push the profits in the weakened economy.

"We're holding our own and looking for great days in the future," Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming, said. "We're real confident, but at the same time cautious."

And statewide, the numbers seem to back up what Allen said. Florida casinos are bucking the national trend, by taking in 22 percent more money than last year.

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Published June 24, 2008