By TheNuts - Nov 02, 2023
Sports Betting Is Coming To Florida
The state of Florida will eventually be able to provide
sports betting, following two years of legal disputes. The Seminole Tribe of Florida said on Wednesday that it will introduce "A New Era in Florida Gaming" in December when it starts to provide sports betting, roulette, and craps at its six casinos.
"The Seminole Tribe expresses gratitude to the State of Florida, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior for their defense of our Compact. "Together, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the State, and the federal government achieved a historic legal victory," a statement from Marcellus Osceola Jr., the chairman of the tribe said.
On December 7, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek will start to offer retail sports betting, roulette, and craps. The games will be played at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa the following day. The new games will thereafter be introduced at Seminole Casino Immokalee and Seminole Brighton Casino on Monday, December 11.
The launch date for online and mobile sports betting is unknown, however given that online sports betting accounts for the great majority of sports betting transaction in other states, it is likely to happen shortly.
The Seminole Tribe and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new 30-year gaming compact in 2021, which significantly increased gambling in the state and granted the tribe exclusive rights to sports betting, both online and in retail establishments.
Rivals claimed in their lawsuit that the "hub and spoke" concept was unconstitutional under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). In this concept, the gaming servers would be located on sovereign tribal land, but the majority of the wagering would not; instead, it would be conducted in retail establishments not located on tribal land or across the state on people's computers or mobile phones. The Seminoles say that because the servers, where the bets "technically" take place, are on tribal grounds, the wagering is legal, despite opponents' contention that it is illegal because it is not taking place on tribe land.
The tribe started Hard Rock Bet in November 2021, but because to the lawsuit, it was only operational for less than a month.
A court's decision in favor of the plaintiffs was reversed a few years ago, and last week the US Supreme Court denied an urgent attempt to halt the Seminole/Florida compact, allowing the tribe to eventually introduce casino games and sports betting.