Florida Supreme Court allows sports betting to continue
The Florida Supreme Court won't halt sports betting in the state, while the "legal battle" over the Seminole Tribe's monopoly continues.
In a brief order, the court on Friday denied motions from pari-mutuel operators West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. Suspension of sports betting and expedited resolution of cases. The unanimous decision did not provide any reasons for the court's decision.
West Flagler is asking the court to invalidate the Seminole Tribe’s 2021 tribal gaming agreement with the state. The gaming agreement, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and approved by the state Legislature, allows the tribe to expand its gaming offerings at the state’s casinos and gives it exclusive access to mobile sports betting.
Sports betting in Florida has been in limbo for much of the past two years as West Flagler battled tribal gaming compacts in federal court. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the agreement to go into effect in October, and the tribe launched its Hard Rock Bets mobile sports betting product in the Sunshine State last week.
Case continues
While Friday's order is a discouraging sign for opponents of the sports betting agreement, it doesn't mean the end of the road for West Flagler and Bonita Fort Myers. The underlying case will continue with a verdict expected next year.
Opponents of the agreement say it violates the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the state constitution by allowing tribes to offer gambling services outside their reservations. Supporters of the agreement said mobile sports betting would be legal as long as it was hosted on servers on Seminole land.
West Flagler owns the Bonita Springs poker room in Southwest Florida.Until recently it owned Miami's Magic City Casino. In its motion asking the state court to expedite action, the company said the tribe could make millions of dollars from activity that courts may ultimately find unconstitutional.
expected to expand access
Meanwhile, mobile sports betting could be on the rise for Floridians. As of last week, Hard Rock Bets is allowing some customers to start placing bets.
The opportunity is limited to those who open an account within a few weeks of the platform going live in 2021 or are part of the Hard Rock Casinos customer loyalty program. New customers can sign up on the waiting list.
In addition to sports betting, the tribe's casino offerings will expand to include craps and roulette as part of the 2021 deal. The games will be available at the state's six tribal casinos starting next month.
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Source: www.casino.org
