Florida’s sports betting compact with the Seminole doesn’t break the rules
The Seminole Tribe of Florida and its compact with Florida State Government, earlier approved by the Federal Government this year, were ruled out from violating the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) despite attempts to point presumed irregularities when defining specificities such as the location of the wager that would ultimately grant the Seminole expanded betting control over the Southern State.
Earlier in August, Florida-based parimutuel operators challenged some of the points established by the IGRA, claiming that the government had allowed the Seminole to accept betting outside of the tribal property. Still, according to Justice Department authorities, the approval of the deal does not present any irregularities as the terms defined the location of the bettor to be the one taken into legal consideration and not the site where the wager is placed.
Federal authorities are looking to put this case behind while they continue to the point that no significant evidence has been provided to refute any of the terms conceded by the IGRA.
Seminole Florida Compact Misunderstood by Parimutuel
According to Justice Department attorney Rebecca Ross, the IGRA is concise and does not violate any ruling over the determination of where a bet is placed. Ross claims that the state allowed the tribe to determine the location of where wagers and bets take place.
Ross continues to point to the parimutuel´s misunderstanding of the deal, approved by Governor Ron DeSantis, which allows for the tribe to accept any bets from throughout the state. More specifically, bets are made via cellphone where users place their wages, and such are processed by servers which, according to the IGRA’s terms, are set to be in the tribal property.
Given that all these matters continue to involve the state and state laws, Ross believes that an alternative and appropriate manner to address these cases would be by opening a state forum that would allow for a much more direct and clear presentation of claims or challenges on behalf of both sides.
Parimutuel Operators Affected by IGRA
According to lawyers for the parimutuel, the effects of the IGRA are already taking a toll on their clients’ business activities. Lawyers for the operators claim a 35% drop in daily volume processed at the Hard Rock Sportsbook since the IGRA came into effect as of November 1.
However, the state remained consistent by clarifying that there is still no proof nor legal evidence that challenges any of the points defined by the agreement.
In addition to parimutuels, an organization self-proclaimed as No Casinos attempted to shine a light on a different aspect of the state law framework. The group stated that the IGRA violates an amendment passed in 2018 by the Florida State Government, which demands voting as the determinant factor to pass any agreement that implies the expansion of casino-gaming activities.
In response, Florida officials stated that these actions are allowed by the compact and that by offering roulette and similar table games at some of their casinos, the Seminole is complying with the agreement by submitting a share of their earnings of these newly applied games to the state.
The Seminole have already launched their online sportsbook, despite legal complications still existing.
