The legal landscape surrounding online sports betting in Florida is undergoing significant developments, with the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court both playing crucial roles in the ongoing saga. Two pari-mutuel companies, West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., are at the heart of the legal challenges against the Seminole Tribe’s online sports betting operations.
In a recent turn of events, the Florida Supreme Court declined to suspend sports betting in the state, a decision that came without detailed explanation but has significant implications. This ruling, as reported by the News Service of Florida and published by Tampa Bay Times, allows the Seminole Tribe to continue their online sports betting services, which they relaunched on November 7, 2023, through a mobile betting application.
The legal battle hinges on a 2021 gambling deal, known as a compact, between the state and the Seminole Tribe. This agreement, ratified by the Legislature and endorsed by Governor Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., allows the tribe to offer online sports betting throughout Florida and to add new games and facilities to their casinos. In exchange, the tribe agreed to pay the state a minimum of $2.5 billion over the first five years of the agreement, with the potential for billions more over time.
However, West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., argue that this compact violates a 2018 constitutional amendment requiring voter approval for casino gambling expansions. Their contention is that allowing sports bets to be placed from anywhere in the state, processed by servers on tribal lands, circumvents this amendment. The pari-mutuel companies, which operate facilities like the Bonita Springs Poker Room, believe they could suffer financially from the tribe’s statewide online sports betting.
Simultaneously, these companies are seeking more time in their legal challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court, as reported by CBS Miami. They have requested Chief Justice John Roberts to extend the deadline for filing a petition in their case against the U.S. Department of the Interior, which concerns whether the sports-betting aspect of the deal violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). This federal law question centers around the authorization of gambling off tribal lands. The Department of the Interior had previously allowed the gambling deal to proceed, a decision supported by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s involvement came into play when it denied a stay request from the pari-mutuel companies on October 25, following which the Seminole Tribe announced its plans to resume sports betting at their casinos and online for a select group of gamblers.
As the legal battle continues, the underlying issues remain unresolved, with both the state and federal courts deliberating on different aspects of the same complex situation. The outcome of these cases could have far-reaching implications for the future of sports betting in Florida and potentially set precedents for other states navigating similar issues.
Sources:
- News Service of Florida as published on Tampa Bay Times
- CBS Miami’s coverage on CBS News