Two years of legal battles between the US Department of the Interior and West Flagler Associates have come to an end now that the United States Supreme Court rejected the latest appeal, indirectly granting the Seminole Tribe of Florida the right to begin offering sports betting once again.
The battle was specifically over the issue of online sports betting and mobile sportsbook applications. All gaming is required to occur on tribe-owned properties. No gambling is permitted to occur anywhere outside reservation borders.
The Seminole Tribe has successfully argued that the bet is ultimately being placed on the server. No matter where the smartphone, tablet, or computer is located in Florida, the gambling is actually occurring on Seminole lands because that is where the exchange happened.
When Will Florida Sports Betting Return?
Even though the Seminole Tribe now has legal clearance to reopen their betting application and start accepting wagers online, they’ve only made an announcement regarding in-person sports betting.
Beginning on December 7th, anyone who is 21 or over can place a bet on sports at one of three Hard Rock Casinos in the state of Florida. There are plans to erect more brick-and-mortar locations in the future.
The sportsbook launch will take place at the onset of Week 15 of NFL betting, granting area players four weeks of regular season wagering plus the entire postseason.
College Football bowl game betting will be just getting started, and there’ll be plenty of time to lay some action on CFP odds as well.
Is There Any Sports Betting In Florida For 18+?
Gambling in Florida at the age of 18 allows locals and visitors to play real money poker in one of the state’s many card rooms, purchase lottery tickets, play bingo, and bet on horse races.
Unfortunately, FL’s gambling laws do not allow for players between the ages of 18 and 20 to get in on the action. There are a few states where you can gamble at 18. The closest state to Florida that lets 18 and older players wager on sports is Tennessee.
Offshore sportsbook sites that are based in foreign countries currently accept gamblers in Florida as young as 18 and let them bet on sports using web-connected devices.
These international betting sites are able to circumvent the local gambling age in FL because they are only required to follow their local gaming laws. Unless a revised compact is introduced that lowers the sports betting age, offshore sportsbook sites will be the only legal outlet for anyone aged 18 to 20.