Florida Sends More Cease and Desist Letters to Online Gambling Operators

Written by :

C Costigan

Published on :

3 February, 2025

Florida Warns State Residents: Hard Rock Bet is the Only Regulated Sportsbook in the State

You wouldn't know it seeing all those commercials for DraftKings and PrizePicks airing throughout the Sunshine State, but the The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) wants to make it clear: Hard Rock Bet is the only sports betting app regulated by the state.

Following prior warnings to Daily Fantasy Sports operators in September 2023, the FGCC has issued cease and desist letters to a handful of offshore operators, citing both their sportsbook and online casino offerings.

The FGCC issued this statement:

“The gambling websites offered by your overseas bookmaking and casino operation offer or accept wagering on sports and horse races, including betting on point spreads, moneylines, and totals, as well as proposition bets and futures in the sportsbook and adding money to bet slips in the racebook."

Ross Marshman, Executive Director of the Florida Gaming Control Commission, emphasized the importance of regulation in the gaming industry and warned Floridians against using illegal online betting platforms.

“Gaming, both land-based and online, is strictly regulated in Florida. For example, when it comes to slot machine gaming, counting the eight legal, state-licensed slot machine businesses, and the six tribal gaming locations currently operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, there are only fourteen legal slot machine businesses in Florida,” Marshman stated.

PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy continue operating in the state despite the September 2023 cease and desist orders. Noticeably DraftKings did not receive one, despite airing commercials every half hour in the state.

All of this comes in the backdrop of a lawsuit Knapp v. VGW Holdings Ltd. in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, filed Feb. 28 and scheduled for trial later this year, will also challenge the sweepstakes casino business model in the state.

The plaintiff in the case, Eric A. Knapp, alleges that VGW Holdings, which operates popular online games such as Luckyland Slots and Chumba Casino, violates Florida's strict gambling regulations by offering games that allow users to purchase virtual currency for a chance to win real money prizes.

In Florida, the specific requirements for protecting the Seminole Tribe's exclusivity in gaming operations are outlined in the Florida Gaming Compact of 2021 between the tribe and the state. Under this agreement, the state is obligated to enforce this exclusivity by using the Florida Gaming Control Commission to shut down illegal gambling venues and operators throughout Florida.

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By Chris Costigan

Chris founded Gambling911.com in 1999 and serves as the website's publisher. He brings more than 3 decades of expertise related to the gambling and sports betting sector. Creative talent is in Chris' genes, which he brings to the G911 website. He comes from a showbiz family that includes Yankee Doodle Dandy George M. Cohan. Chris is the grandson of artist John E. Costigan, whose work appears in the Smithsonian. Chris' father was also in the news business and co-founded what is today the Union County Performing Arts Center. Chris is a graduate of Kean University.