Florida Sports Betting Battle Rages On
The return of football has created a massive boost in the U.S. sports betting industry, and there are now more than 30 states with sports betting of some kind. Florida was among that group at one point, but it has almost been two years since online sportsbooks were live in the Sunshine State.
This has turned into a massive legal battle between the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler Associates and it’s currently in the Florida Supreme Court. West Flagler Associates has already been defeated at the federal level, but there is a chance that the state of Florida could go a different direction.
The main argument is that the gaming compact between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe violates the state constitution. It’s still unclear how this trial is going to play out, but a company by the name of “No Casinos” is getting involved as well.
No Casinos States Its Case
Monday was a big day in this case as No Casinos was required to file its motion in court, and the group delivered a brief that was 33 pages long. No Casinos is against all forms of legal gambling in Florida, and it also submitted the brief to the case that has been appealed at the federal level.
While there were many arguments included in the brief that was filed, the main takeaway was that No Casinos believes that the gaming compact should be voided. This group also collected petitions to stop the sports betting attempt from the Seminole Tribe, and those signatures all came from concerned residents of the state.
West Flagler Associates and No Casinos does believe that there is a path to legal sports betting in Florida, but only if it is done correctly. They argue that lawmakers in the state must first pass an amendment and then voters will get to make the final decision on the ballot.
It was a strong case made by No Casinos, and the Seminole Tribe has largely been quiet throughout the entire process.
Seminoles Waiting Around
There was a brief period of time earlier this month in which the Seminole Tribe could have launched online sports betting, but the tribe chose to sit idle. Leaders of the tribe did not want to have to shut down the Hard Rock Bet app yet again as it created some issues the first time that it happened.
That is no longer the case in Florida as the the federal court did issue a stay that keeps the tribe from launching its app. The US Department of Interior is going to have to respond to this stay this week, and that could open the door for a launch again soon.
There is no clear timetable for legal sports betting to return in Florida, but the Seminole Tribe of Florida is losing out on millions of dollars during the NFL season. The Seminole Tribe would have a full monopoly over this market if it were to go live, and that is another issue that has angered those in the state.
