By Facundo Rodriguez
When people think of Florida, the first things that come to mind are probably the Everglades, oranges, Miami, theme parks, and lush beaches, not gambling. Yet, the Sunshine State has a long betting history, dating back to the Great Depression. Horse and dog racing in this part of the US first got legalized in 1931. One-armed bandits and betting on Jai-alai also briefly saw the legal light of day in the mid-1930s. Though, this quickly got repealed in 1937 due to conservative opposition. Small-stakes bingo and penny-ante poker at homes also got allowed in the next few decades, followed by poker at pari-mutuel facilities in 1996. And in 2004, slot machines got approved in Broward and Dade counties.
However, despite all this, casino wagering is not widely-approved and accessible in Florida as one would think. Throughout the years, it has appeared on state ballot multiple times, with voters, surprisingly, being generally averse to a large-scale expansion of this pastime. As those who have visited this part of the US, land-based gaming venues get famously featured on Seminole Native American land. Gaming establishments outside it have faced significant opposition.
The Seminole Tribe has played a substantial role in gambling's expansion in the state. And in the 1970s, it opened high-stakes Bingo halls, leading to the eventual passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Now, recently, in 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe concluded a significant compact that grants the tribe exclusive rights to operate sports betting, craps, and roulette games. Though online casinos are still not a thing in Florida, the gaming culture has evolved significantly in the state, which now boasts over a hundred gaming properties, with sports betting apps being allowed now. Below, we provide a quick guide to how Florida residents can engage in different forms of wagering entertainment on the Web.
Is Sports Betting Available in Florida?
Florida sports betting made a splash but then swiftly hit a snag. The DC Court of Appeals kept the state hanging in a state of uncertainty for over a year. That occurred after deciding if the Florida Seminole Gaming Compact has gotten violated. Finally, on June 30, 2023, a verdict emerged. It put legal Florida online sports betting back on track. Nevertheless, no exact relaunch date has gotten put in place yet. Fingers crossed, this happens before the new football season kicks off.
Florida, the third-most-populous US state with nearly 22 million people, has sports fans itching to get their gambling fix since it is now technically legal. But they do not have any authorized wager options currently.
At the time of writing, Hard Rock Bet, formerly the Hard Rock Sportsbook, is the first sportsbook platform believed to be available first because it was the original service to accept betting action in Florida. Expectations are that it will return in time for the start of the new NFL season. Officially, DraftKings is a brand that has not gotten allowed by state law. Yet, its use for daily fantasy sports is an offense usually punishable by the state. Know that retail sportsbooks are not currently legal in the home of Disney World and Universal Studios.
To rewind a bit as a method to describe/explain today's state, we must go back to when 2018 and when the Seminole tribe secured their hold on the future of sports betting by supporting Amendment 3. That made it impossible for anyone else to legalize this practice without the tribe's involvement. After about three years of legal battles, in May 2021, the mentioned compact got signed. That was an agreement meant to permit mobile sports betting across the state. Though, it was not approved as law even after being added to the federal register. Amid this uncertainty, the Seminole launched a Hard Rock sports betting app in November 2021. Unfortunately, its existence was short-lived. It faced challenges on the federal level that caused the tribe to take it down a month later. That left Florida with no legal sports betting for two years.
What About Online Casinos?
In June, Vermont passed a new gambling law that allowed sports betting, putting the number of states that permit this activity up to thirty-seven. Of this group, twenty-eight accept mobile wagering, which is a substantial jump from the eighteen that allowed this practice in early-2022.
We mention these numbers to illustrate the divide between Internet sports betting and online casino gaming acceptance in the US, as the latter entertainment form only gets legally authorized in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia. Rhode Island has announced that it will launch its first sets of casino platforms in 2024, so it will quickly join this batch. However, there is no news about Florida becoming a member of this team any time soon. That said, the state does allow table games and slot play at social online casinos based within its borders. Moreover, residents are free to explore offshore platforms that supply gaming services to clients from North America.
Many internationally-licensed sites operating from the Caribbean and South America have no issues about allowing players from various corners of the globe to join their ranks. In fact, that is why they run their business from these territories. The gaming licenses given out by government-approved bodies do not forbid this, letting them open their doors to gamblers worldwide, including in Florida. It is vital to mention that there is no evidence to suggest that authorities in the Sunshine State legally pursue anyone who engages in games of chance at these platforms, with many seeing this as a matter of personal choice if they still pay taxes on their winnings, classifying them appropriately on their forms.
Can You Play Poker Remotely in Florida?
Unfortunately, no. The only card action option online for Floridians is to register at an offshore poker room, such as Bovada, Everygame, Ignition, or BetOnline. Note that these picks are comparable to top-end brands like PokerStars, 888Poker, Full-Tilt, Unibet, WSOP, Borgata Poker, and BetMGM Poker.
