This browser does not support the Video element.
In-person sports betting coming to Florida
In-person sports betting will launch at some of its Florida casinos in December, the Seminole Tribe of Florida announced Wednesday.
ORLANDO, Fla. - In-person sports betting will launch at some of its Florida casinos in December, the Seminole Tribe of Florida announced Wednesday.
The Tribe announced that in-person sports betting would start on December 7 at all three of its South Florida casinos – Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, as well as the addition of craps and roulette.
The new games will expand to the Tribe's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa on Friday, Dec. 8, followed by Seminole Casino Immokalee and Seminole Brighton Casino on Monday, Dec. 11.
"With the expansion of the new scope, we are creating over 1,000 new jobs made possible by the Compact," said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chair of Hard Rock International, in a statement. "This is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league with the world's great gaming destinations."
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt to block the implementation of the new Gaming Compact between Florida and the Tribe, clearing the way for the new games to start, the Tribe said.
"The Seminole Tribe thanks the state of Florida, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Department of Justice for defending our compact. By working together, the tribe, the state and the federal government achieved a historic legal victory," said Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. in a statement.
"The Seminole Tribe of Florida's new initiative will create jobs, increase tourism, and provide billions in added revenue for our state," said Gov. Ron DeSantis. "I was proud to work with the Tribe on our historic Gaming Compact and I look forward to its full implementation."
The Gaming Compact was signed in 2021 but has been challenged in court for years.
When it was signed, Gov. DeSantis said the new agreement would generate a minimum of $2.5 billion in new state revenue over the next five years and potentially up to $6 billion by 2030. Prior to the compact, the Seminole Tribe made no revenue payments to the state, according to an August 2021 news release from the Governor's Office.
A lawsuit challenging broader online sports betting remains pending at the Florida Supreme Court.