Positive news for stakeholders
Online sports betting could become a reality once more in Florida in the not-too-distant future. The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Seminole Tribe and the state of Florida on Wednesday, rejecting an emergency bid to block the state-tribal gaming compact.
did not provide exact reasons behind the ruling
The only barrier to a possible relaunch of the Hard Rock Sportsbook is certain legal challenges that are still pending in state courts. The brief order from the Supreme Court did not provide exact reasons behind the ruling, which isn’t unusual when it comes to emergency applications.
Seminole Tribe Spokesperson Gary Bitner welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, labeling it as “good news” and said that the ruling is heartening for the tribe.
Still some issues up in the air
When remarking on the Supreme Court decision, Justice Brett Kavanagh did note that the compact “raises serious equal protection issues.” This relates to the argument that the agreement breaches the constitution as the tribe would have a monopoly on sports betting while it is a felony for anyone of different ancestry, race, national origin, or ethnicity to do so.
Justice Kavanagh also believes that the allowance of betting outside of tribal land could violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, an argument that has been put forth by the plaintiffs before. The tribe contends that because the servers that process the transactions are on tribal land there is no issue.
A lucrative compact
The compact between the Seminole Tribe and the state of Florida was led by Governor Ron DeSantis and got the green light from the US Department of the Interior. The state was set to receive annual payments of $2.5bn from the tribe in return for having exclusivity in the online sports betting space, as well as being able to expand casino operations to allow the offering of roulette and craps.
launched in November 2021 before being taken offline just a few weeks later
Hard Rock Sportsbook launched in November 2021 before being taken offline just a few weeks later after a federal judge ruled that the compact was illegal, saying that betting is only permitted on tribal lands. This has led to a drawn-out legal battle ever since against West Flagler Associates, which represents the interests of certain land-based gambling facilities in the state.