TAMPA, Fla. - The Seminole Tribe of Florida has filed a federal lawsuit accusing DraftKings of running an illegal, unlicensed sports gambling operation across the state.
What we know:
The Seminole Tribe submitted a 72-page legal complaint Thursday in Broward County. The lawsuit targets DraftKings, CEO Jason Robins, and DraftKings Predictions.
The filing claims DraftKings bypasses state law by offering unlicensed sports betting via its prediction markets and Pick6 products. Under the 2021 Florida Gaming Compact, the Seminole Tribe holds exclusive rights to offer statewide sports wagering through its Hard Rock Bet platform through 2051.
The lawsuit asserts DraftKings operates without state-mandated consumer protections. These safeguards include strict age verification, responsible gaming limits, and bans on specific college sports player props.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear when a Broward County judge will issue a preliminary ruling on the requested injunction.
Court documents have not yet established the exact monetary amount DraftKings gained through its Florida offerings.
What they're saying:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis weighed in on the lawsuit during a press conference in Miami on Thursday morning.
"They were given the purview on the sports betting," he said. "I haven’t read the thing, I just heard about it this morning, but I think our agreement clearly contemplated that they would have the ability to run this in Florida."
DraftKings defended its products in a statement sent to FOX 13 on Thursday, saying its prediction markets follow federal regulations and its Pick6 fantasy product does not qualify as sports betting.
"DraftKings' prediction markets offering operates in accordance with applicable law and the federal regulatory framework established under the Commodity Exchange Act," a DraftKings spokesperson said.
"Furthermore, DraftKings Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy sports variant centered on a simple ‘more or less’ mechanic tied to individual athlete performance metrics and is not sports betting. While the company has deep respect for Seminole Tribe’s sovereignty, we remain confident in our legal position."
What's next:
The Seminole Tribe is asking a court to block DraftKings from offering or advertising its prediction markets and Pick6 options in Florida.
The lawsuit asks the court to force DraftKings to turn over profits derived from its state operations. The Tribe plans to direct any recovered funds to problem gambling and consumer protection initiatives.
The Source: Information for this story came from statements from DraftKings, court filings in Broward County, press conference remarks from Governor Ron DeSantis and previous reporting on FOX 13.