TAMPA, Fla. — Just as football season gets going and the Rays head toward the playoffs, people in Florida may soon be able to bet on sports legally.
ABC Action News talked with attorney Daniel Wallach, who teaches sports betting law and regulation at the University of Miami, who said,” Internet sports betting might begin, or could potentially start as early as Monday.”
The Seminole Tribe of Florida will likely be challenged in court by owners of the South Florida casinos left out of this gaming deal.
“It grants over statewide remote wagering, giving control of the entire online sports betting structure to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and that creates a monopoly to the exclusion of all the other licensed commercial operators in the state,” said Wallach.
In 2021, casino owners in South Florida challenged the Seminoles gaming deal in court, forcing the Hard Rock to shut down its online betting after just 34 days.
The gaming agreement says the Tribe will pay the state a minimum of $2.5 billion over the first five years and possibly billions of dollars in the following years.
“There are people who are just itching to wager on sports, and they don’t care how it happens; they just want to bet. But this is a compact that’s going to last for 30 years in duration,” said Wallach.
The Hard Rock isn’t commenting yet on its plans to relaunch sports betting on its app or eventually open a sports book in the casino.
ABC Action News found a job listing for a sports book agent position with Seminole Gaming in Tampa.
