Seminole Tribe sports betting still blocked after Supreme Court temporarily halts ruling
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Sports fans in the Tampa Bay Area likely won’t be able to gamble on the big games for at least another season.
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted an appeals-court ruling that would allow the Seminole Tribe of Florida to offer sports betting throughout the state on Thursday.
Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order imposing a stay after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a gambling deal between the state and the tribe that included sports betting this summer.
Sports betting is still sitting on the sideline in Florida.
Roberts’ order came after pari-mutuel companies West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp. sought a stay as they prepare to ask the Supreme Court to take up a challenge to the appeals-court ruling. The companies' lawsuit focuses on the ability for Floridians to place mobile sports bets from anywhere in the state, with only the computers based on Seminole Tribe lands.
Florida gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach said the lawsuit has legitimate grounds, and that the current agreement, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021, would be bad for consumers.
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"This is a bad deal for Floridians, bad for the state and terrible for the parimutuel industry," Wallach told FOX 13. "It would deter competition and wouldn't be a good experience for the consumer because if you're dealing with one sportsbook that has the, not only the dominant share, but control over the whole [market], you may get less competitive odds, you may get less attractive marketing inducements such as, free bets, bonus bets and second chance bets."
The ongoing fight is reaching the highest level of government.
Wall Street analysts also said the current agreement could cost Florida big revenue. Investment experts had projected at least $3 billion in gaming revenue annually, now say it could be less than $2 billion.
Although sports betting is now legal in 37 states nationwide, Wallach said Florida is one of the few states where one sportsbook monopolizes the state’s betting industry.
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"Most other states have granted multiple licenses to allow a broad cross-section of sports betting companies to operate online sports betting. New York has nine operators. New Jersey has double digits. Pennsylvania has double digits," Wallach shared. "Florida is the only state of this, or even moderate size, that conveyed the entirety of its sports betting entitlement to just one entity."