Tribal gaming is at a historic crossroads with the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit’s (USCA-DC) impending judgement in a sports betting case involving the Seminole Tribe, which is pivotal in the potential reshaping of the tribal gaming landscape, not only in Florida but also nationwide.
The USCA-DC’s three-judge panel has heard oral arguments, and all parties await an imminent decision that may lead all the way to a US Supreme Court hearing. Florida’s online betting market lasted less than a month in November 2021 after Governor Ron DeSantis inked a state-tribal compact allowing the Seminoles to offer online sports betting on and off tribal land.
take the Seminole’s appeal before a full, nine-judge Circuit Court
The decision now sits with the USCA-DC after the District Court for the District of Columbia (US-DDC) ruled against the tribe last year. According to sports betting insiders, the next likely outcome would be the USCA-DC’s judgement to take the Seminole’s appeal before a full, nine-judge Circuit Court before applying for a hearing through the Supreme Court.
If the Supreme Court rules against the Seminoles, it would mean zero sports betting in Florida except on tribal lands. Internet-based gambling, meanwhile, would require state licenses.
Should the US’s highest court rule in favor of the Seminoles, however, it could pave the way for other tribes to offer online sports betting and, ultimately, change the entire US sports betting landscape.