The Seminole Tribe officially kicked off sports betting in Florida just in time for the kickoff of Monday Night Football. It quietly launched its Hard Rock Sportsbook app Monday evening, offering users a risk-free bet up to $100 on their first deposit.
Although there are still legal challenges, namely a lawsuit filed by two pari-mutuels in federal court, those residing in the state can now place wagers on professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey and other sports. Players can deposit funds for wager straight from their bank accounts, debit or credit cards, PayPal and Venmo.
The tribe, which entered into a new gaming compact that was approved by state lawmakers during a May special session, has yet to comment on Monday’s launch through spokesman Gary Bitner and hasn’t indicated when bets will be able to be placed in person at its six casinos, including the Seminole Casino Hotel in Immokalee.
The new gaming compact guarantees a minimum of $2.5 billion in revenue sharing for Florida over the first five years. The state received its first monthly revenue sharing contribution from the Seminole Tribe in October when a $37 million payment was transmitted.
Last week, Ocala Gainesville Poker and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co., Hialeah Park, Palm Beach Kennel Club, Tampa Bay Downs and Tampa’s TGT Poker & Racebook pari-mutuels reached marketing agreements with the tribe which allows them to take bets that will be processed through servers located on tribal land in exchange for 40% of proceeds from each bet going to the tribe.
The “hub and spoke” model detailed in the compact allows bets placed online or through pari-mutuel permit holders to be processed through servers located on tribal land. That is a point of contention for the Bonita Springs Poker Room and Magic City Casino. The two pari-mutuels filed a motion Sept. 21 against U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, whose office allowed the compact to commence, in the federal District Court for the District of Columbia to prohibit the implementation of online sports betting in the state.
Bonita Springs Poker Room spokesperson Izzy Havenick previously declined comment citing pending litigation and couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday. The side argues the compact violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which only allows for state-sanctioned gaming to take place on tribal land, according to the motion. Those placing sports bets on their mobile phones qualifies as making illegal wagers off the reservation, the side states. A hearing is scheduled for Friday in district court.
