The Isle Casino asked a federal judge in Tallahassee on July 7th to order a halt to blackjack and other new card games at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.

The Isle, one of three state-regulated racinos in Broward County that compete with the Hard Rock for slots players, cited last week's state Supreme Court ruling invalidating the gaming compact the Seminole Tribe signed with Gov. Charlie Crist.

Lawyers fot The Isle asked for a preliminary injunction to halt blackjack, baccarat and several other card games that the Hard Rock began offering on June 22nd.

The filing comes as part of a lawsuit The Isle filed last month in the Northern District of Florida against Crist and U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne claiming the gambling compact signed in November by the governor and the Seminoles is invalid.

The Isle contends the compact violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which allows tribes to offer only games already authorized elsewhere in the state.

The Isle Casino argued that blackjack and other so-called ''banked card games'' are not allowed in Florida, and the governor exceeded his authority by giving the tribe both Las Vegas-style slot machines and card games.

The state Supreme Court basically agreed with this position when it struck down the agreement last week. But despite the court ruling, the card games have continued at the Hard Rock. Tribe attorney Barry Richard said final authority on the games lies with the U.S. Interior Department, not the Florida courts.