The long-storied battle of two Miami-based gambling venues versus the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s gambling compact with the State of Florida has now reached the highest court in the land.
On October 12th, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ordered a stay in the decision rendered by the First District Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, back in June of this year.
There has been no further indication of the US Supreme Court’s stance on the case other than their intention to review it. Lawyers for the US Department of the Interior have been given until tomorrow to respond.
That decision reversed a lower court’s ruling that online and mobile gambling violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). In November 2021, the Hard Rock Casino began offering online and mobile sports betting.
In December 2021, all sports betting in Florida was suspended once West Flagler Associates challenged the legality of the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s revised gambling compact.
West Flager Associates is the owner of Magic City Casino and the Bonita Springs Poker Room. A $96 million sale of The Magic City Casino to PCI Gaming Authority was finalized in February of this year. PCI is an affiliate of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama.
The plaintiffs believe that the IGRA strictly forbids the offering of any online gambling to players who are not located on tribal lands. West Flagler argues that the sports wager is being placed on the device, which can be located anywhere inside Florida’s borders.
The Department of the Interior, the State of Florida, and the Seminole Tribe of FL suggest that the IRGA supports online gambling as long as the server where the wager is placed is located on Native American lands.
Both sides have claimed legal victories on the road to the US Supreme Court.
If the Seminoles do not receive a favorable ruling, there is still a chance that legal sports betting could occur in FL at their Hard Rock Casinos in Hollywood and Tampa.
Gambling laws have been set that require a minimum age of 21 to bet on sports in Florida. With domestic sportsbooks dormant in FL, offshore sports betting sites are able to provide services to an exclusive market in the Sunshine State.
The international sportsbook sites that we recommend here at LBO operate outside of US and state jurisdiction and are licensed by foreign gaming commissions.
Some accept gamblers in Florida at the age of 18, but a few require a minimum age of 21 to join. These gambling sites are the state’s only option for online sports betting, casino gambling, and real money poker.