Legal Sports Betting
No, sports betting in Florida is not legal at this time.
Online sports wagering was a late addition to the legal sports betting market, having launched in the last days of May 2019. Rhode Island Online sports wagering is not yet legal in the state, however, and the monthly revenue figures will reflect that until the legislature decides to move forward with a plan to roll out such a product.
Sports betting in Florida
- Most legal sportsbooks allow you to wager on the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC, boxing, cricket, college sports (NCAA football, NCAA basketball), soccer (EPL, MLS, Champions League), tennis (men’s and women’s) and golf. You’ll also find odds for motorsports like NASCAR and F1, politics (elections), and entertainment (awards shows).
- Sports Betting Legal; Nowhere to Bet Yet (2021) Sports betting has been legal for some time now in North Carolina. However, unfortunately, not only has the state taken the route of going in-person only, which should decimate the betting numbers compared to other states, but you still cannot bet in North Carolina.
Sports betting does not sound close to becoming a reality anytime soon, as there are a number of factors working against it.
Gambling is legal at the state’s tribal casinos and pari-mutuel facilities. The Seminole Tribe of South Florida has operated several brick-and-mortar casinos, paying a flat fee to the state in revenue. However, horse racetracks and jai-alai frontons were greenlighted for another form of gambling, designated player card games, sometimes resulting in wagering up to $50,000 per hand. The Seminole Tribe was unhappy that they did not have exclusivity to table-game wagering and balked at paying money back to the state.
Negotiations have been underway to make the Seminole Tribe, the pari-mutuel facilities and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis all happy. While Gov. DeSantis has been reluctant to expand gambling in the state, legislators have been working on a deal that would make the tribal casinos a hub for sports betting. This would essentially mean the tribal casinos would get a percentage of the overall gambling revenue made even outside of their facilities. The sticking point might be if the Seminole Tribe only wants sports betting at their brick-and-mortar facilities, completely shutting out the racetracks, jai-alai frontons, etc.
Another obstacle might be the voters themselves. While a deal could be hammered out to make please everyone, a ballot initiative passed by voters in 2018 required any gambling expansion outside of the tribal casinos and the lottery required to be initiated by the voters, not the state legislature.
As mentioned above, legalizing sports betting in the state doesn’t seem to be close at this point.
Online sportsbooks in Florida
None.
Legal Sports Betting California
Retail sportsbooks in Florida
None.
Legal Sports Betting In Us
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