Per a recent report, it would appear that the future of Florida sports betting has to wait until 2023 for a new update. According to one article, earlier this month, a major Florida sports betting initiative was shelved at least until next year. Based on a timetable released by the presiding court deciding the future of sports gaming in the Sunshine State, Florida gaming won’t see any big moves made until next year. With the court announcing opening briefs from the federal government for mid-August, a likely sequence of legal events would take place over the next several months.
For this article, SBS will go over some more updates regarding gaming coming out of Florida and also some more information about wagering in the Sunshine State.
Per one source, the D.C. Circuit has announced the following briefing schedule in the Florida tribal compact sports betting case. In mid-August, the court will hear the Appellants’ opening briefs which will be followed by the West Flagler Response in early October. After that, there will be an Appellants’ reply brief meeting in court for mid-November, followed by an oral argument session which will be on a to-be-determined date. This leaves the future of Florida sports gaming without a decision until at least next year.
According to the same source, while the next phase of the sports betting saga has been a slow-moving process In Florida, sports betting was legal at one point in the Sunshine State. After Florida Governor Ron DeSantis negotiated a compact with the Seminole Tribe back in May of 2021, the legislature then approved a new sports betting deal. Then in November of last year, mobile sports betting was up and running in Florida. However, opponents to the new compact took the measure to court, arguing a bettor in Jacksonville was not on sanctioned gaming lands. Then in early December, mobile sports wagering was suspended in Florida.
With the announcement from the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. The Court of Appeals, a court case that had not seen new updates in months, had some new life. However, this could prolong the process even further, given the potential illegality of blocking betting in the state. For instance, one source who has followed the case closely since the compact’s inception has suggested on a handful of occasions that the case is likely to wind up before the Supreme Court. If that were to happen, it would likely mean that sports betting in Florida would likely not occur in the state until 2025 or even 2025.
As one source pointed out as well, lawmakers could potentially rectify this situation by passing a new compact, however experts agree that this scenario is unlikely. With this being an election year, many lawmakers would rather not be reminded that their last attempt was held up in court. Nonetheless, regardless of the case’s outcome, advocates of mobile sports betting have already put plans in place to have a referendum before the voters in 2024 on the topic of sports wagering. In this effort, it would potentially bring mobile operations to the state, not tied to the tribal lands themselves.
As you are wrapping up your background research about the Florida wagering scene, another great resource to check out is our Florida sports wagering guide. On this fantastic page, you can find all the latest gaming news related to the Sunshine State along with the most recent promotions and bonuses. On the topic of the latter, SBS has your back with our comprehensive welcome bonuses wagering page, which covers all you need to know regarding the best ways to maximize your bets. Finally, if you are perhaps uncertain about which payment methods are the best for you, then make sure to peruse our payment options breakdown, which covers all kinds of ways to place your bets.