Florida to Launch Legal Sports Betting Sports Betting

Florida to Launch Legal Sports Betting in Mid-October

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 22 September 2021

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

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It has been revealed that the state of Florida is gearing up to launch legal sports betting, with the launch date set for October 15th this year. This is a tentative date that has not yet been confirmed and remains unofficial at present.

The move comes after the state governor, Ron DeSantis, and the State Legislature gave approval to a bill that will allow the Seminole Tribe to offer sports betting exclusively in the state. Rep John Snyder said that he believed the move was a hugely beneficial one for the state and that the compact was a key priority for the state governor. He said:

For people who don’t want to see gambling expanded, this was a great opportunity to hold the line and say gambling and casino activities will stay in the current footprint.

The move means that sports betting will launch around a month and a half into the 2021 football season, but fans will still be able to enjoy the opportunity to wager on their favorite teams and games for the remainder of the season.

Hard Rock Sportsbook will be the Only Approved Sportsbook

It has further been announced that the only approved sportsbook in the state for now will be the Hard Rock Sportsbook. This is the online sportsbook that is operated by the Seminole Tribe, and the tribe has stated that it aims to have everything up and running by October 15th, although this is an unofficial date.

The good news is that those who want to place bets will be able to do so in person from October 15th at the Hard Rock Casinos in Hollywood and Tampa. The proposed launch date is for retail sports betting, but the tribe has yet to confirm details of a date for accepting bets online.

The news of the launch of sports betting in Florida came just over a week after Arizona launched sports betting, enabling sports fans in the state to start placing bets following the kick-off of the football season.

Potential Issues with Lawsuits

One thing that has caused concerns over the launch date is the possibility of lawsuits, which could result in delays. In fact, some believe that the launch could be delayed by at least one month due to pending court documents.

Federal Gaming Regulations in Florida state that the tribe can only accept bets at properties that are on tribal lands or via servers that are on these lands. This means that all bets, both in-person and online, must be placed on tribal lands.

However, sports fans in Florida want to see licenses for legalized gambling being issued to a range of sportsbooks and not just the Seminole Tribe. Many are eager to have a range of options when it comes to placing bets and have expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of choice and accessibility.

Many believe that the current situation will result in a monopoly within the state, and those opposing the compact have said that it violates both the Florida Constitution and federal gaming regulations.