Seminole Tribe May Soon Push for Florida Online Gambling Expansion

With their legal sports betting compact no longer under litigation, the Seminole Tribe may soon shift its focus to Florida online gambling expansion.

The potential push is not unexpected. The Seminole Tribe ended their battle over sports betting in Florida a few months ago when they reached an agreement with West Flagler Associates, the gaming operator who filed the lawsuit over their initial gaming compact. Really, though, the tribe earned the victory even earlier. Their Florida sports betting operations were reinstated before the case ever officially closed. It has now been up and running for well over a year.

At any rate, the Seminole Tribe and their Hard Rock Florida sports betting app are out of the woods. And in an ever growing industry, it was only a matter of time before the next big thing came into their sights.

Some continue to speculate the Seminoles could allow other online sports betting apps in Florida. As of now, only Hard Rock Bet is accessible to residents of The Sunshine State. That is the mobile betting site they operate in partnership with Hard Rock Casino. Key stakeholders have recently discussed the idea of amending the Florida sports betting gaming compact to allow for partnerships with DraftKings and FanDuel, among other sportsbooks. 

From the looks of things, though, expanding into Florida online casino gambling may actually be at the top of their mind.

Could Florida Online Gambling Expand By the End of 2025?

Experts in the industry are now wondering whether the Seminole Tribe will push for Florida online casino legalization…this year. A handful of industry insiders even expect it at this point. 

With this said, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will be successful. And even if they are, the process may take longer than this calendar year. As Steve Bittenbender of Florida Bet writes:

“Could online casino gaming be headed to Florida in the near future? According to one report, it could happen as soon as 2025. Ryan Butler of Covers reported on X earlier this month that the Seminole Tribe could begin discussions with Florida officials about adding iGaming next year…[However,] Florida iGaming is still several steps from becoming a reality. Even if Seminole leaders reach an agreement with the DeSantis Administration, that deal would require legislative approval. The Interior Department also would need to review the compact.”

There is another curveball in the Florida online gambling process, too. President of the United States Donald Trump and his cabinet prioritized online gambling restrictions during his first term. With his second term underway, it is not clear how receptive they would be to Florida online gambling legislation. Especially when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was, at one point, a Republican primary opponent of President Trump. 

Florida Online Casinos Would Be Worth Tons of Money

Obstacles in mind, The Sunshine State is amply motivated to at least pursue this course. The expansion of Florida online gambling into casino gaming could be worth millions of dollars in additional revenue per year.

In fact, as Bittenbender explains, it will generate more business than even Florida sports betting. “As large as online sports betting has become, iGaming would provide a substantially larger revenue stream for the tribe and the state,” he writes. “For example, earlier this month, New Jersey reported that its licensed gaming operators won $556.9 million in November. The Garden State’s land-based casinos accounted for $223.9 million of that, and the state’s iGaming operators generated $214 million.”

This may surprise some people. But it probably should not. While sports betting in the United States is a multi-billion dollar industry, it is also a niche market. Not everyone is a sports fan. Casino gaming has wider appeal. That is why legal forms of casino gambling were so prevalent before sports betting. 

It is also why other markets without both legal sports betting and casino gaming tend to pursue the latter first. Look no further than the continued push for sports betting in Texas. While there is a clear demand for it, state officials and real estate developers keep bringing discussions back to casino commercialization.  

The Wait for Florida Online Casinos will Likely Be a While

Despite any immediate interest in Florida online gambling expansion, it will likely be a while before mobile casinos get the stamp of approval. 

For one thing, it isn’t even clear how strong the interest is among Seminole Tribe officials. A spokesperson for the tribe recently said that they remain focused on their Florida sports betting operations. This also makes sense. The Seminoles just wrapped up their first full calendar year of sports betting operations. There is still much for them to hammer out. And as we already mentioned, they might look at the partnerships with commercialized sportsbooks.

Perhaps most importantly, though, this does not seem like the year to chase amendments that will require Department of the Interior approval. Like we explained above, President Trump’s administration doesn’t seem to have a favorable stance toward online gaming. Beyond that, however, they are in the middle of overhauling government structure. The upheaval has reached unprecedented—and, unequivocally, unconstitutional—levels. Any initiatives that transcend simply local approval may find themselves stuck in stasis, if not swiftly denied.

Revisiting the Florida online casino legalization in 2026 feels like a more likely proposition. And again, this presumes the Seminoles don’t first prioritize Florida online sports betting expansion. Even if they are more interested in online casinos, mobile sports betting adjustments may end up being the more attainable goal over the foreseeable future.

Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can find one that works for all of your sports betting needs: