Florida

Sports betting is legal in Florida as of right now. The key word there, though, is now, as the legality of sports betting is currently being challenged by the state's Supreme Court. Until an official ruling is made, residents of the Sunshine State have free reign to place wagers on the Hard Rock Sportsbook.

If one thing is certain about Florida, it is that residents love sports, whether it be professional or collegiate. With sports betting now back to being fully legal, in-state bettors can bet on all their favorite sports and even wager on their favorite in-state colleges. The one stipulation about betting on college sports in Florida is that bettors are unable to place player props on college athletes, regardless of whether they play for an in-state school or not.

Bettors in the state are also free to wager on horse racing, both in-person and on mobile racebooks like DK Horse. For sports fans who prefer to stick with daily fantasy sports contests, they, unfortunately, are running out of options to use since FL has struggled to get a bill regarding DFS apps passed, which has led to Underdog and PrizePicks exiting the state.

Online sports betting in The Sunshine State

Back in 2019, the Seminole Tribe’s gaming compact was about to expire, so they began working on a new deal with Senator Wilton Simpson. The deal that the two sides agreed upon would have the state receiving $500 million a year from the tribe as long as they shut down card games and other gambling opportunities at pari-mutuel facilities.

The Seminole Tribe also would have been able to offer sports betting at their casinos and receive a cut of what pari-mutuels made from sports betting, but Gov. Ron DeSantis decided not to sign the deal. With that decision by DeSantis, the Seminole Tribe chose to stop paying the state their usual $350 million a year.

After the state failed to pass a bill allowing the state lottery to run sports betting, the Seminole Tribe and the state agreed to a new gaming compact in 2021. The new compact allows the tribe to offer not only retail sports betting but also mobile wagering through the Hard Rock Sportsbook app.

Unfortunately for Florida sports bettors, the compact was met with multiple lawsuits once it was signed. The federal court decided to vacate the deal, quickly forcing the Hard Rock Sportsbook to cease operations in the state. In 2023, the Seminole Tribe successfully appealed the District Court's decision, and on December 5th, 2023, the Hard Rock Sportsbook app was officially up and running.

Since the Hard Rock Sportsbook was relaunched in the state, West Flager Associates made a motion for the court to rehear the case, but it was denied. More lawsuits have since been filed, which could eventually lead to another cease of operations, but for now, sports betting remains fully legal.

All legal FL sports betting apps in 2024:

Sports betting & gambling legislation in FL

Throughout all the ups and downs in the Sunshine State regarding legal sports betting, the one thing that has remained the same is that the legal gambling age is 21. Additionally, since sports betting was legalized for the first time, remote registration has been an option offered to bettors.

The only time any of these bettors would be forced to pay a tax on their winnings is if those winnings exceed $5,000 or are 300 times the amount of their initial wager. If that is the case, individuals would then be subject to a 24% tax rate.

Sports betting is not the only gambling-related topic in Florida that has run into problems over the years. Daily fantasy sports apps and social sportsbooks in the state are unregulated, allowing all big-name operators like FanDuel, PrizePicks, Underdog, Betr, and Fliff to operate.

In 2023, the Florida Gaming Commission issued cease-and-desist letters to Betr, PrizePicks, and Underdog. Despite these letters, all three operators continued to offer contests, but in January 2024, the FGC doubled down and issued another round of letters. Around the same time, a bill that would legalize DFS contests in the state died on the Senate Floor. Between those factors, PrizePicks and Underdog have exited the state, and more operators could decide to do the same.

Most recent updates from the FL sports betting scene

• May 15, 2024: The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has written a 31-page filing outlining why the U.S. Supreme Court should not be getting involved in the case between West Flager and The Seminole Tribe. West Flager is still hoping for a ruling from the Supreme Court.

• May 5, 2024: After taking the Cavaliers to seven games, the Orlando Magic have been eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

• May 2, 2024: After eliminating the Celtics from the postseason last year, Boston has returned the favor to the Miami Heat by knocking them out of the NBA Playoffs in the first round.

• April 29, 2024: The Florida Panthers have completed a first-round gentleman's sweep over the Tampa Bay Lighting. Florida now has the second best odds to win the Stanley Cup at (+500).

• December 5, 2023: Online sports betting in Florida is now accessible to all residents, as Hard Rock Bet launched earlier than anticipated. The Seminole Tribe, after a long legal process, reopened its online sports wagering platform with a full launch.

• December 4, 2023: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has formally asked the state's Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit challenging sports betting in the state. DeSantis contends that West Flagler's legal petition doesn't meet the necessary standards.

• November 20, 2023: The Florida State Supreme Court denies a request from West Flagler Associates, a pari-mutuel betting operator, to halt the operations of Hard Rock Bet and its online sports betting platform in the state.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Since the Seminole Tribe has complete control over the Florida sports betting market, they are able to offer brick-and-mortar sportsbooks throughout the state. Currently, the Seminole Tribe has six casinos where they can take legal sports wagers, the biggest of which is the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.

There is always a chance that horse racing facilities throughout the state could eventually open a sports betting kiosk, but they would first have to partner with the Seminole Tribe to do so.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Sports bettors in southern states have not had much luck finding a state that has legal sports betting. While Florida currently has legal sports betting options, that could change at any moment. Unfortunately, bettors won’t be able to take their business to neighboring states since both Alabama and Georgia do not have sports betting bills in place.

You can click on the links below to find out more about the sports betting landscape in both of those states.

Sports betting revenue impact on Florida’s economy

Due to the back-and-forth nature of legal sports betting in Florida, the public does not have a firm idea of how much the state has made from the matter. Most states release a monthly report of how much sports betting handle, revenue, and tax income the state made, but with sports betting not run by the Florida government, these reports are non-existent.

According to a report done in 2021, the state would be estimated to make $247 million a year in tax revenue from legal sports betting. Given its sheer size, Florida could potentially be one of the highest-earning states every month, even with the current monopoly that the Hard Rock Sportsbook app has over the mobile betting scene.

Additionally, with the state government's lack of involvement, sports betting in Florida does not operate under a licensing system. Instead, the state signed a tribal gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe, which has granted them complete control over the sports betting landscape.