There will be no decision on the legality of sports betting in Florida before 2023. That comes as a massive blow to sports betting fans and operators alike.
The U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit filed a brief and hearing schedule for the case surrounding this issue in Florida. The hearing seeks to confirm or deny the validity of the Seminole Tribe’s compact with the state.
Situation in Florida Goes From Bad to Worse
The news went from bad to worse for sports betting fans in Florida. There will be no decision on the validity of the compact between the Seminole Tribe and the state until at least 2023.
It isn’t just locals that will be upset by the news either. Regardless of your source, Florida is no worse than the Top 3 nationally when it comes to tourists. In fact, in most polls, they come out ahead of Nevada which says a lot.
With legal sports betting launched, Florida stands to make huge profits and will likely be Top 5 in the country in terms of overall handle. That is why the recent decision by the District of Columbia Circuit is so frustrating to sports betting fans and operators alike.
Not Likely to Change
This entire process has been frustrating for all parties and when you consider that this lawsuit is just one of several that have been filed, you get the sense that this situation might not even be resolved next year.
The NFL season is mere weeks away and most people in Florida were hoping for a resolution by then so that they could make NFL bets on their favorite sports teams.
Seminole Tribe who already have a digital platform called Hard Rock Digital had to take it down although it has to be said they didn’t exactly do it immediately upon hearing the ruling.
Dealing With the Tribes
The issue of tribal gaming is a complicated one nationally and every state has handled it to varying degrees of success. Two of the biggest states in the country, Florida and California have been closer to the worst-case scenario end of the spectrum.
These two states will serve as a warning to others across the country that are considering legalization. If the local tribes aren’t in favor, you’ll have a serious problem. Even if they are, that doesn’t mean that they’ll play ball your way.
Just the Beginning of Legal Proceedings
In just about every state that has already legalized, the tribes had to sign off or it was back to the drawing board. The issue for both Florida and California is that there are outside interests that have a lot of money that can get you political support.
With all of the potential in Florida (and California), there’s no way outside operators will stand back and just allow the tribes to have a monopoly on sports betting. The way the compact is set up in Florida, essentially, the tribes will have exactly that. Without striking a deal that is very favorable to them, operators would be on the outside looking in under the current deal.
