Florida In-Person Sports Betting to Launch in December

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) fakes the handoff to running back Raheem Mostert (31) during the first half of an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Oct. 15, 2023.The Seminole Tribe announced in-person sports betting will launch in Florida casinos on Thursday, Dec. 7. No word on when online sports betting will launch, though several reports point to a possible November launch.Craps and roulette will also launch on Thursday, Dec. 7

It’s not what everyone is waiting for, but it’s a positive development for those interested in Florida sports betting.

The Seminole Tribe announced this morning that in-person Florida sports betting will launch on Thursday, Dec. 7, at all three Seminole casinos in South Florida. Craps and roulette will also launch on this date as well.

The Seminole Tribe made the announcement on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court denying West Flagler Associates’ request for a stay of the D.C. Circuit Court’s mandate that legalizes Florida sports betting.

In-Person Sports Betting Ready to Go

The Seminole Tribe and Seminole Hard Rock plan to celebrate a “New Era in Florida Gaming” with celebrations in December for the launch of craps, roulette, and sports betting at all six Seminole casinos.

“The Seminole Tribe thanks the State of Florida, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice for defending our Compact. By working together, the Tribe, the State and the federal government achieved a historic legal victory,” said Marcellus Osceola Jr., Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, in a press release.

The new games will launch to the public on Thursday, Dec. 7, at all three Seminole Casinos in South Florida: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.

On Friday, December 8, the new games will launch at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. On Monday, December 11, the new games will launch at Seminole Casino Immokalee, near Naples, and Seminole Brighton Casino, on the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee.

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

While in-person sports betting is ready to go in the state, many are still focused on when the Tribe will launch online sports betting.

Online Sports Betting Launch This Month?

A Seminole Tribe spokesperson confirmed to Sports Betting Dime that today’s announcement only pertains to in-person sports betting. The spokesperson noted that no new information on a potential Florida online sports betting launch was available.

However, Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 reported today that Florida online sports betting will begin sometime this month.

SLATER SCOOP: Sports betting in Florida will begin on the @HardRockBet app within the next 2-3 weeks, sources tell me.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida announced they’ll be opening in-person sportsbooks and craps/roulette tables on Dec. 7.

The mobile app will launch before then.

— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) November 1, 2023

Sources have told Sports Betting Dime that a November online sports betting launch is possible, but could not confirm Slater’s report.

We will continue to follow along with the potential online sports betting launch as more information is made available.

How Did Florida Get Here?

Florida’s sports betting journey began in 2021 when the state approved a 30-year gaming compact that granted the Seminole Tribe exclusive retail and online sports betting rights in the state. The gaming compact granted the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to online sports betting through a “hub-and-spoke” system, as well as expanded gaming rights, in exchange for at least $2.5 billion over the first five years. The “hub and spoke” system allowed sports bets to be placed anywhere in the state as long as they were processed by computer servers located on Tribal Land.

The gaming compact also allows casinos to offer craps and roulette.

The gaming compact was thrown out by Friedrich in November 2021. Ultimately, Friedrich determined the compact violated the conditions set forth by IGRA that limits tribal gaming to the confines of tribal lands. The Seminole Tribe argued in the gaming compact that because the servers that processed the online sports bets were located on tribal land, then the bets themselves were placed on tribal lands.

The three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the the District of Columbia disagreed with her ruling. The court vacated the opinion of the district court and ruled in favor of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who initially approved the gaming compact.

Currently, West Flagler Associates has a lawsuit against the online sports betting provision in the gaming compact with the Florida Supreme Court. Additionally, West Flagler is likely to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its lawsuit as well, but the odds for the court to take the case are fairly slim.

The Supreme Court of the United States recently denied West Flagler’s request for a stay of the D.C. Circuit Court’s mandate that would legalize Florida sports betting. For SCOTUS to grant a stay, West Flagler had to satisfy several pieces of criteria. The party had to establish that at least four SCOTUS justices would consider the issue sufficient to grant certiorari; that a majority of SCOTUS would likely vote to reverse the judgement; and a likelihood of irreparable harm would result from the denial of a stay.

West Flagler failed to satisfy these requirements and the stay was denied by SCOTUS.