Sports gambling won’t start when state said it could
But it’s in the cards; here’s what you should know
Thousands of South Floridians had visions of scurrying up to a betting window Friday at a Seminole casino in Hollywood or Coconut Creek, peeling off some bucks, and placing a legal wager on a NFL or college football game.
Others had visions of sitting at home, sipping on a beverage, and placing a bet on their cellphone, tablet or laptop.
After all, Oct. 15, is the first day legalized sports betting can begin in Florida.
But it won’t happen — yet. Here’s the deal on what’s ahead for legalized betting in Florida.
When will sports gambling begin?
The Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns the Hard Rock Casinos and is running the state’s sports gambling operation, never planned to start sports betting on Oct. 15, according to Seminole gaming spokesman Gary Bitner.
The date was chosen by the Florida Legislature in the deal the state and Seminoles made in May. The Seminoles said they wouldn’t begin sports gambling prior to Oct. 15, but they never established a specific starting date, and still haven’t. They’ve said only that sports gambling would begin “in the fall.”
Bitner said retail (walk-up, or brick-and-mortar) sports gambling and online sports gambling will begin “sometime in the next 60 days.”
He said there’s no assurance retail and online sports gambling will begin at the same time, but both will be available by mid-December, along with craps and roulette.
Many people expected the Seminoles would have sports gambling operational as soon as possible during football season because that’s when gambling interest is highest and when the most money will be made.
“Seminole Gaming continues to move forward with hiring and training hundreds of new team members for the authorized launch of sports betting, craps and roulette — games now legal in Florida,” Bitner said.
Which sports can I gamble on?
All pro sports, college sports and Olympic sports will be eligible for gambling, according to the Florida-Seminole deal. However, proposition bets (specialized wagers such as, ‘Will John Doe pass for more than 200 yards in Sunday’s game?’) aren’t allowed for college sports.
Where can I gamble?
With online gambling, you can be anywhere in the state and place a bet. But you can’t place a bet out of state. Location services on your device are the determining factor.
Bitner said all six Seminole casinos in Florida will offer in-person sports betting. There are three Broward locations, including two in Hollywood (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at 1 Seminole Way; Seminole Classic Casino at 4150 N. State Road 7) and one in Coconut Creek (5540 NW 40th St.).
Seminole casinos are also available for in-person betting in Tampa, Immokalee and Brighton.
Can’t I game online?
Eventually, you’ll be able to bet online because the betting goes through computer equipment physically located on tribal lands, which is a requirement, and a point of contention in a pending lawsuit.
However, you must be physically in Florida to place a mobile bet, something that will be determined by location services on your device.
Why am I able to bet on horses online in Florida?
You can bet horse racing online in Florida because it’s pari-mutuel betting, which is legal in Florida. Beyond that, the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, which sought to help horse tracks, allows online betting in the 41 states that opted into the IHRA. Florida’s decision to fully opt in came in 1996.
Betting on other sports is legal right now in Florida because the state and Seminoles have agreed to their deal. But no one can make a bet until the Seminoles set up the betting system.
How does Florida’s legal gambling work?
Most likely the Seminole Tribe will contract with companies that specialize in handling money and gambling operations.
For example, when betting horse racing in Florida you use an app such as TVG or TwinSpires. You create an account on the app, deposit money from your bank account to your account on the app, and place bets through the app. It would likely work the same way with sports gambling in Florida, meaning you won’t have to register with the state or anything along those lines.
How much will Florida make on sports gambling?
Florida is guaranteed at least $2.5 billion during the first five years of this deal. The state could get more based on an involved formula that takes into account how much the Seminole Tribe earns from competition such as slots, table games and sports gambling.
What’s happening with the legal challenges?
Three lawsuits are pending. Two lawsuits are by West Flagler Associates, which represents Magic City Casino in Miami, and Bonita Springs Poker Room, in Southwest Florida, and one by No Casinos, a group led by millionaire auto dealer Norman Braman and developer Armando Codina.
One West Flagler lawsuit claims Gov. Ron DeSantis exceeded his authority when he signed and approved the deal between the state and Seminole Tribe when it comes to off-reservation sports betting. The other West Flagler lawsuit claims the Department of Interior should have prevented the deal from being approved based on the off-reservation sports betting.
The No Casinos lawsuit says the deal violates the Florida Constitution because Amendment 3 says gambling expansion must be approved by voters.
“None of these lawsuits are going any place,” said Bob Jarvis, gambling law professor at Nova Southeastern University’s law school.
Jarvis doesn’t think sports gambling will be slowed or stopped by any of these challenges.