- Sportsbooks were supposed to launch on Friday in Florida for retail and online wagering.
- The launch has not occurred, and there is no set date for when it will happen.
- A court case on Nov. 5 could provide more clarity to the issue.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida’s sports betting regulation efforts were commended by many in the Sunshine State.
While their plan would entail a relatively late start to sports betting - around Week 6 of the NFL season - it still caught most of the NFL and college football seasons, which are highly profitable for sportsbooks.
However, the October 15th launch date for both retail and online sports betting in Florida has arrived, but no sportsbooks have opened to the public yet.
Why Are Florida's Sportsbooks Not Open?
Sports betting in Florida will be run by the Seminole Tribe, and the tribe itself did not set the Oct. 15 launch date - that was the state legislature.
The tribe is claiming that mobile and retail sports betting is coming soon, but has not put a specific date on when “soon” might be.
Daniel Wallach, a gaming and sports betting lawyer, speaking with WINK News, highlighted a court hearing on Nov. 5 that would shed some light on the case against sports betting in Florida.
Many anti-gambling groups and advocates have launched lawsuits against the Tribe and the state, claiming that their method of regulating gambling was illegal.
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“The focus in the short-term is going to be on the Nov. 5 court hearing,” Wallach said. “Which will at least decide in the short-term.”
What Is The Problem With How Florida Legalized Sportsbooks?
Florida attempted legalization via what is referred to as the hub-and-spoke model. This refers to the idea that servers located on tribal land could be the hub of the proverbial wheel, with mobile gambling being provided via those servers to all of the rest of the state.
The arguments that this is unconstitutional stem from a disagreement in the interpretation of a constitutional amendment passed in 2018 that gave Florida’s voters final approval over any state expansion of gambling.
The state argues that this is not a state expansion of gambling, but simply a tribal compact being amended to allow the tribe - a sovereign nation - to offer sports betting.
Opponents argue that by offering mobile sports betting via servers on tribal land, the tribe is effectively expanding gambling on a statewide level.
The court hearing on Nov. 5 should provide some insight in the short term, but long-term challenges will still exist even if that one is resolved quickly - there are multiple lawsuits against the state at this point. Retail sports gaming can launch at any point at Seminole locations in Florida as of Friday but the earliest that online platforms will be seen is November 15, and that's only if the court hearing that occurs ten days prior sides with the compact as is.
Maxwell joined the USAOnlineSportsbooks team in 2019. He focuses on creating sports betting content that informs and educates. He focuses on the NBA, the NFL, College Football and Basketball, and whatever else comes across his desk.
