Sports Betting

The emergency motion comes after a U.S. district judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the gambling deal between the state and the tribe violated federal law.

In denying the stay, Friedrich wrote, in part, that a stay during an appeal is an “extraordinary remedy” and that the tribe did not meet legal tests to justify it.

Although the compact deems sports betting to occur at the location of the tribe’s servers, the judge wrote that “this court cannot accept that fiction.”

A professor who teaches sports management at Rollins College discusses the status of sports betting in the state.

The gambling deal includes allowing people throughout the state to use mobile devices to place sports bets that are run through computer servers on tribal property. But a key issue in the lawsuit is whether the IGRA allows the Seminoles to accept bets that are placed off tribal property.

Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the door to sports betting in Florida — viewed as one of the nation’s most-fertile grounds for digital wagering — through a deal signed with tribe Chairman Marcelus Osceola Jr.

Owners of two pari-mutuel facilities contended that allowing people to place sports bets while off tribal property violated federal laws.

Two pari-mutuel facilities contend that allowing people to place sports bets while off tribal property violates federal laws.

Under the compact, the Seminoles will serve as the state’s hub for sports betting, with pari-mutuel operators contracting with the tribe. The Seminoles agreed to pay Florida about $20 billion, including $2.5 billion over the first five years.

Owners of Magic City Casino in Miami-Dade County and Bonita Springs Poker Room in Southwest Florida filed the lawsuit contending that a sports-betting plan that lawmakers passed in May violates federal laws.

Senators approved the compact on Tuesday and the House is expected to sign off on the proposal Wednesday.