Sports betting remains legal in Florida, but with limited availability after the state’s only legal betting app (Hard Rock Bet) relaunched in Nov 2023 and started accepting bets from its existing customers. However, the sports betting app became fully available to Florida residents in December 2023, with the Seminole Tribe of Florida launching retail sports betting across six casinos in the same month.
Florida officially approved sports betting on June 30th, 2023, when the federal appeals court confirmed the legality of the state’s deal with the Seminole Tribe. However, the relaunch of sports betting in Florida was delayed following this ruling due to several legal entanglements.
This article brings you the latest updates on the state of legal sports betting in Florida and considers the possibility of additional major sportsbooks in the United States arriving in the Sunshine State.
Florida’s latest sports betting news & updates
- January 4th, 2024: A new bill is introduced to the legislature, aiming to legalize daily fantasy sports and regulate the activity under the Florida Gaming Control Commission. The bill hoped to bring clarity to fantasy sports in Florida, which is considered a gray area since they aren’t illegal or technically legal.
- February 15th, 2024: Florida’s Gaming Control Commission sends Underdog Fantasy, PricePicks, and Betr cease and desist letters, ordering them to stop their operations in the Sunshine State.
- March 1st, 2024: PricePicks confirms their exit from the state as requested by the Florida Gaming Control Commission.
- March 21st, 2024: The Florida Supreme Court declines the case challenging the Seminole Tribe’s agreement with the state to offer online sports betting. The owners of Bonita Springs Poker and West Flagler Associates had requested the Super Court to overturn the deal, as Governor Ron DeSantis and the legislature exceeded their power by signing this deal. However, the court ruled that the compact’s opponents had filed the wrong petition challenging the agreement.
- April 9th, 2024: Hard Rock Digital confirms a multi-year partnership with Florida Panthers as their official betting partners. That marks the first sports betting deal for the Panthers.
- June 18th, 2024: The Seminole Tribe secures a significant victory in their battle to dominate sports betting in Florida as the Supreme Court declines to take the challenge to the state’s sports betting compact. The decision keeps the Seminoles as the only online sports betting operator for the foreseeable future.
Florida’s Sports Betting Laws
So far, efforts to legalize sports betting in the Sunshine State have been smooth albeit slow. However, legal battles are still raging in Florida’s sports betting market, with the state’s gaming compact at the center of it all as the West Flagler Associates continue challenging it.
The Seminole Tribe currently operates the sole authorized sportsbook in the state and carries regulatory responsibilities according to the 2021 Gaming Compact, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the tribal gaming ordinance. However, the state’s Gaming Control Commission is responsible for tribal casinos oversight, with the Pari-mutuel wagering division overseeing sports betting.
But can we expect other sports betting operators to join Florida’s betting market?
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2024, the Seminole Tribe remains the only legal sportsbook operator in the foreseeable future. However, more sports betting operators might be allowed in the market in the coming years if the state’s legislature decides to overturn its compact with the Seminoles and develop a new model for online sports betting.
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