Florida is poised to get back in the sports betting game

The Seminole Tribe of Florida announced Wednesday that in-person sports betting will launch at three of its casinos in Hollywood and Coconut Creek on Dec. 7. Additional locations will begin offering sports betting Dec. 8 and Dec. 11.

The announcement comes one week after ruling from the United States Supreme Court, reaffirming the Seminole Compact with Florida that allows the tribe to offer sports betting. It was the latest decision on a lengthy legal battle between the Seminole Tribe and other gaming operators in Florida that began in 2021, after Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed to a new gaming compact. Hard Rock Casinos began accepting bets in November 2021, but abruptly halted business after legal challenges arose.

“The Seminole Tribe of Florida’s new initiative will create jobs, increase tourism, and provide billions in added revenue for our state,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a release Wednesday. “I was proud to work with the Tribe on our historic Gaming Compact and I look forward to its full implementation.”

No details regarding the potential launch of online betting in Florida were included in the announcement.

Retail sports betting will begin Dec. 7 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. On Dec. 8, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, followed on Dec. 11 at Seminole Casino Immokalee and Seminole Brighton Casino.

“With the expansion of the new scope, we are creating over 1,000 new jobs made possible by the Compact,” Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International, said in the release. “This is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league with the world’s great gaming destinations.”

Thirty-five states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets since 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the federal statute that had restricted regulated sports betting to primarily Nevada.

Source: ESPN

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