No, sports betting in Florida is not legal at this time.
Sports betting in Florida
Sports betting does not sound close to becoming a reality anytime soon, as there are a number of factors working against it.
Gambling is legal at the state’s tribal casinos and pari-mutuel facilities. The Seminole Tribe of South Florida has operated several brick-and-mortar casinos, paying a flat fee to the state in revenue. However, horse racetracks and jai-alai frontons were greenlighted for another form of gambling, designated player card games, sometimes resulting in wagering up to $50,000 per hand. The Seminole Tribe was unhappy that they did not have exclusivity to table-game wagering and balked at paying money back to the state.
Negotiations have been underway to make the Seminole Tribe, the pari-mutuel facilities and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis all happy. While Gov. DeSantis has been reluctant to expand gambling in the state, legislators have been working on a deal that would make the tribal casinos a hub for sports betting. This would essentially mean the tribal casinos would get a percentage of the overall gambling revenue made even outside of their facilities. The sticking point might be if the Seminole Tribe only wants sports betting at their brick-and-mortar facilities, completely shutting out the racetracks, jai-alai frontons, etc.
Another obstacle might be the voters themselves. While a deal could be hammered out to make please everyone, a ballot initiative passed by voters in 2018 required any gambling expansion outside of the tribal casinos and the lottery required to be initiated by the voters, not the state legislature.
As mentioned above, legalizing sports betting in the state doesn’t seem to be close at this point.
Online sportsbooks in Florida
None.
Retail sportsbooks in Florida
None.
For more sports betting information and betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. And follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter and on Facebook.
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