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Despite positive news that the Florida Seminoles will be relaunching their mobile sports betting site, ESPN Bet will not be offered in the Sunshine State. Gamblers here will have the option of the Hard Rock app, long established offshore sportsbooks and credit bookies operating within the state through referrals.
What is ESPN Bet?
ESPN decided to enter the lucrative sports betting market after years of sitting on the sidelines and watching other media companies like Fox jump into the ring. The latter didn't work out well as Fox has since opted to part with the Fox Bet brand.
ESPN Bet is a brand change from Barstool Sportsbook. The site will be operating by Penn National but almost guaranteed to enjoy extensive promotion via the ESPN channels during broadcast of Monday Night Football, college football and college basketball games.
ESPN Bet will only be available in these states for now: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Again, Not Florida.
What is Going on With Sports Betting in Florida
The Seminole Tribe will be the only game in town for sports betting, for now.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in June reversed a November 2021 decision by a federal judge who halted the gambling agreement between the Seminoles and state of Florida.
The Seminoles are not the only game in town when it comes to casinos. Because other entities want in, specifically the owners of the Magic City Casino in Miami, objections have been filed in court.
Magic City Casino's owner, West Flagler Associates, has now asked the court to “immediately suspend the off-reservation sports betting provisions in the Implementing Law that purport to authorize the Tribe to conduct sports betting statewide,” and to maintain the status quo of “no sports betting statewide” until a ruling is made in the existing court cases. Most experts believe that won't happen until some time in 2024, the earliest.
But it's not just the competition.
No Casinos opposes the expansion of gambling in Florida because, as they claim, "more gambling will hurt our economy, our communities, and our taxpayers".
They point to a 2018 voter approved referendum whereby they, the voters, will decide upon any form of gambling expansion in the state. Certainly, it can be assumed, voters would need to approve any new casinos. One can argue that mobile sports betting is a form of gambling expansion.
For the time being, the Seminoles say there will offer their wagering app on a "limited basis".
Sit back and enjoy the ride.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
