The Seminole Native American group in Florida has reintroduced mobile wagering.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has unveiled Hard Rock Bet in the Sunshine State.
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Seminole Tribe Reintroduces Mobile Wagering in Florida
Gamblers can now get a sneak peek at Florida’s online sports wagering through the Hard Rock Bet platform run by the Seminole Tribe. Past users of the operator and qualified Hard Rock loyalty program Unity by Hard Rock members can get early access.
The tribe declared the relaunch of sports wagering in Florida just a week ago. On December 7, dice, roulette, and sports wagering will be introduced at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood, and Seminole Coconut Creek Casino.
These will be introduced on December 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
On December 11, Seminole Immokalee Casino and Seminole Brighton Casino will go live.
On X (formerly Twitter), Hard Rock Bet declared that early access is now available.
“Early access for Hard Rock Bet is now live in Florida!” the tweet stated. “Past users of Hard Rock Bet Florida, including qualified Unity by Hard Rock loyalty program members, can now place bets.”
The next step is to launch…
The Seminole tribe observed a flicker of optimism in their sports wagering struggle following the Supreme Court’s rejection of a request to halt legal proceedings last October. While this didn’t create a straightforward path for the Seminoles to provide sports betting without opposition, it presented a chance, which the tribe has fully embraced.
Hard Rock Betting had already launched in Florida prior to 2021, when Governor Ron DeSantis authorized a gambling agreement that permitted the Seminoles to exclusively offer sports wagering within the state.
However, in December 2021, the District of Columbia determined that the agreement violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), temporarily halting operations. This followed legal actions from West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers, questioning whether providing sports betting through tribal servers was equivalent to gambling on tribal land.
In September, West Flagler initiated legal proceedings against DeSantis and the Florida legislature. The horse racing betting operator questioned whether DeSantis and the legislature had exceeded their authority in approving the 2021 gambling agreement.
West Flagler intensified its legal challenge in August 2023 by submitting a motion for reconsideration against Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who had ruled against them in June 2023.