Florida did not rush forward to legalize sports betting once the Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in 2018.
Market analysts predicted that Florida could bring in millions of dollars by legalizing sports betting but state legislators did not push forward with any bill because of the existing compact that the state had with the Seminole Tribe.
All that changed in May 2021 when the Seminole Tribe and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new compact that permitted the tribe to offer sports betting services but also made provision for Florida to allow pari-mutuel operators to offer sports betting services.
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Florida is now pushing forward with a sports betting bill that will allow both in-person and online sports betting services. This bill is backed by some of the biggest betting operators in the country including FanDuel and DraftKings who are eager to see sports betting legalized in the Sunshine state.
Florida Education Champions is one of the main groups campaigning for sports betting legalization and is looking to educate voters on what benefits the state would get from running a legalized sports betting market. The state government is expected to bring in millions of dollars in revenue in the form of sports betting taxes that will then be used to fund education in the state.
The sports betting bill will be put to a vote and will have to secure a minimum of 60 percent of overall votes before it becomes into law.
The opposition to legalized sports betting in the state continues to grow with each passing month. One of the biggest opponents is the Seminole Tribe who have already threatened to stop paying any fees to the government on their sports betting revenues.
The tribe says that if pari-mutuel facilities are allowed to offer sports betting services, then they will no longer have exclusive rights to sports betting and will not pay the government any revenues on their sports betting margins.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber has also criticized the push to legalize sports betting in Florida and has written to the Department of the Interior asking them to reject the new compact between Florida Gov. and the Seminole Tribe as it does not comply with Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the Florida constitution.
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