The state of Florida launched domestic and online sports betting in 2023 after years of back-and-forth legal actions presented by its competitors. Now that sports betting has been granted by the state’s supreme court solely to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, their rivals are going after a loophole that allows offsite sports betting.
The state compact, signed by current Governor Ron DeSantis, gives the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to domestic sports betting services. The compact also authorized craps and roulette to the casino gaming floor, which was once forbidden.
In the state of Florida, all casinos and sports gambling activities must take place on tribal land. The Seminole Tribe of Florida launched an online sports betting app despite backlash from the opposition. The Seminole Tribe was able to launch their app since the servers that accepted the bets were located on tribal land.
Now that several months have passed, the same two parimutuel companies that initially tried to halt domestic sports betting in Florida are now suing Deb Haaland, secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, who oversees tribal gambling. The two companies are now trying to halt offsite sports gambling, stating that the 2021 compact creates a backdoor way out of the state’s requirements of a citizen’s initiative.
Are Online Casinos Legal In Florida?
Yes, but only from offshore sites and not from tribal casinos located in the state. Online Florida casinos are currently only located outside of the state since there are no specific laws allowing state-licensed casinos to operate online.
It seems like the Seminole Tribe could launch a domestic casino app now that its sportsbook app is live, but our guess is that they don’t want to ruffle too many feathers at once. Historically, casino gambling has always been seen as more of an addictive vice than betting on sports.
Since the repeal of the Professional and Amature Sports Protection Act (PASPA), many states have opened up to sports betting, but online casino expansion has not followed suit.
Are Florida Online Casino Games Fair?
The term offshore tends to lead people to believe that online casinos are not legitimate, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The online casinos we review and recommend are all licensed by a trusted gaming regulator that checks the game odds, security protocols, and other vital site factors.
Each licensed online casino site holds current compliance records that indicate it has been deemed fair and reliable. Rogue sites or unlicensed sites often give the industry a bad rap for their illegal activities. However, if you play at a licensed site, you can rest assured that it is just as fair as any other casino you could walk into in the States.