Florida Betting News

Legal sports betting in Florida might be years — not months — away from coming to fruition. When a federal court of appeals blocked the Seminole Tribe from operating sports wagering, in partnership with the Hard Rock Sportsbook back in December 2021, there was some optimism that the conflict was temporary. Now? It might be a long-term issue, which casts serious doubts about the return of sports betting to sunny Florida.

There has been a battle over the future of sports betting in Florida for quite some time now. The jist of the issue: The Seminole Tribe currently has a monopoly on all sports betting rights and wants to keep it that way, but sports venues, online sportsbooks and pari-mutuel establishments want to accept wagers, as well. The fight culminated in the Seminole Tribe halting their online sports-betting operation at the start of the December after a surprise ruling from a judge. So...what's next?

Online sports betting is no longer up and running in Florida—for now, at least. A federal judge has overturned a piece of legislation that was signed into law this past May by the state's governor, Ron DeSantis, that green lit online sports betting through the Seminole Tribe. Their operation, which launched on November 1, has officially been shut down, suddenly jeopardizing the long-term future of online sports betting in Florida.

After a long, arduous wait, Florida is currently set to join the legalized sports betting ranks in the coming weeks. Maybe. A new lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room that would block both the launch of on-site and online sports betting for non-tribal casinos. Though this development doesn't necessarily threaten the future of legal betting in Florida, it does stand to delay the timeline. And we're here to explore why.