Seminole Mobile Sports Betting in Florida Goes Live

The Seminole Tribe has relaunched its Hard Rock mobile sports betting website in a limit fashion effective Tuesday morning (November 7).

The move comes after a  federal judge set aside approval of a gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.

Exclusive rights to retail and online sports betting in Florida were granted to the Seminole via a 2021 compact between the tribe and the state.

Legal challenges continue, however, and some experts believe that a 2018 amendment authorizing voters to decide on any form of gambling expansion could halt statewide mobile sports betting once again.

Florida gaming attorney Daniel Wallach said via Twitter "Once the #SCOTUS stay was denied, this was just a matter of time. While the cases proceed at both the state and federal levels, so too will online sports betting in Florida."

Last month, the U.S. Surpreme Court lifted its stay on the Florida sports betting case.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who oversees emergency requests from the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., earlier this month issued an administrative stay in the case while the full court considered a request for a long-term stay made by lawyers representing Florida casino operators.

From the Scotus Blog:

Justice Brett Kavanaugh penned a statement regarding the court’s denial of the casinos’ request. Kavanaugh agreed with the decision not to put the D.C. Circuit’s decision on hold, but he emphasized that the effect of the court’s order was limited.

The federal law at the center of the dispute is the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act, which was enacted in 1988 to create a framework for gambling on tribal lands. Under IGRA, when tribes want to offer casino games and sports betting, they must enter into an agreement, known as a compact, with the state where they are located. The federal Secretary of the Interior must then approve the compact; if she does not act on it within 45 days, it is considered to be approved.

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com