After years of legal battles, Florida is now the most populated state in the US with legal online sports betting. The Hard Rock Bet app, owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, went live on Tuesday. Although available statewide, the app reportedly only has a limited offering available to existing customers.
Bill Speros, a Florida-based sports betting analyst, took to X to share the news with a screenshot of an NFL bet he had placed:
This isn’t the first time the Hard Rock Bet app has gone live. It also launched in November 2021 as the Seminole attempted to capitalize on their compact with Governor Ron DeSantis. Sadly for the tribe, legal challenges posed against that compact meant it had to shut down the app around a month later.
West Flagler Associates claimed the compact was illegal
Last month, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Seminole and Governor in a case that had spanned around two years. West Flagler Associates claimed the compact was illegal because it allowed the tribe to offer sports betting outside of its tribal lands. The federal judge ruled that this was not the case, allowing the Seminole to immediately put plans in place for a launch.
The Hard Rock Bet X account posted a clip of wrestler The Undertaker to hint at the revival of the app on Tuesday:
Retail sports betting will arrive in Florida just in time for Christmas. The Seminole announced it will launch in-person betting at six of its casinos beginning on December 7. The online launch, meanwhile, comes as somewhat of a surprise given that no mention was given of it in an announcement earlier this month.