Presently online and offline sports betting is not legal in the state of Florida, but won’t be the case for longterm. Florida is in a exceptional position when it comes to legalizing online sports betting. After the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), several states jumped headfirst into this multi-billion dollar industry and immediately legalized sports betting.
Florida, sadly, wasn’t one of these.
There are many reasons this is the case however, the biggest one has to do with the nation’s longtime compact with the Seminole Tribe, which we’ll tell you more about beneath. The uncertainty around the long-term future of the agreement has become the biggest variable in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see strategy to legalization.
Nonetheless, there are solutions for residents of Florida while they wait for the nation’s legislators to act. Daily fantasy sports websites for example DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing websites like TwinSpires also operate from the state.
The absence of urgency and movement on this matter is certainly frustrating for gamers, however it may not remain this way forever.
The sport betting landscape is shifting across the nation and while it’s taking some nation’s a long time (some longer than others), it’s widely believed that it’s merely a matter of time until Florida gets in on the action.
This page is the complete guide to what you need to know more about the past, current, and future of internet sports betting in Florida. We’ll clarify the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in much more detail and describe how it figures into how sports gambling law will take shape in Florida in the years to come.
We will also keep this page update with important advancements that can help or hurt Florida’s chances of presenting legal sports gambling in the near future.
For more information on other nations, read our state by state guides to US sports gambling laws.
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The Current Online Sports Betting Situation at Florida
When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 it opened the door for every state to make their own conclusions with regards to legalizing sports gambling in their jurisdiction. Each state can choose whether to do it at all and if so, how the regulations will work.
Since each state has its own history and political/economic climate, we are very likely to see change occur at a different pace depending on which part of the country you’re talking about.
In some cases the switch to legal sports gambling was already in the works and occurred immediately. In other areas the change looks inevitable and is waiting for laws or other red tape to be taken care of. In different areas, legalization of sports betting may not occur in any way.
Florida falls somewhere in the middle of those groups. The country is receptive to betting in general but there is legal work that has to be done before full-scale sports gambling will be made accessible.
The present condition of legal online sports gambling in Florida is somewhat complicated, to say the least.
Even though Florida now has the ability to legalize sports gambling, there are a few things standing whatsoever. The largest obstacle is that the pact that the state has with the Seminole Tribe.
Essentially, the agreement gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on all casino card games (blackjack, pai gow, casino poker variants, etc). However, the arrangement has gotten somewhat tenuous and the new probability of legal sports betting has made the discussions even more complex.
As it stands now, nothing is now occurring on the legalization front and also the very first opportunity for anything to alter will be March 2019, if the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida definitely does not fall to the”Never going to happen” class in regards to legal sports betting but it’s also not going to be leading the charge towards regulation. Like most nations, however, Florida is going to have a hard time ignoring the potential revenue when they visit other nearby states start to reap the rewards.
The Annals of Online Sports Betting in Florida
Florida is one of the countries where sports gambling laws haven’t changed much over the past 50 decades or so.
Over the decades America has been through a range of reforms as soon as it comes to the laws governing sports betting. From the early 60s, in an attempt to fight organized crime and mob related racketeering, the US government made inter-state sports betting illegal together with the Federal Wire act.
The issue with that course of action, not as what happened with the prohibition of alcohol, is it only drove the business and flow of money further underground.
Three years later, in 1992, the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was introduced in an effort to protect the integrity of American sports by making gambling on games illegal anywhere outside Nevada. Americans might not have been in a position to bet on sports domestically but it wasn’t long after that the internet made it possible for overseas sportsbooks to provide their solutions to US gamers online.
Ever since then, the US has missed out on a huge revenue opportunity in the kind of regulated sports betting. There is clearly a massive market for this as Americans spend billions each year wagering on sports in Las Vegas and via unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of the writing, sports gambling has never been legal in Florida, intriguing because the state has a relatively large gaming civilization.
Racetracks and casinos have become common place across the country, yet neither provides legalized sports gambling. The closest thing people in Florida can bet on is puppy and horse-racing along with the game of jai alai which has been popular and legal to bet on at the state since the 1960s.
The only real option sports gamblers have to place wagers on games would be to utilize one of several offshore options, which are currently illegal.
Which Online Sports Betting Sites Are Legal in Florida?
As you can imagine, there aren’t any”legal” online sports gambling websites in Florida. However, several offshore options exist for online sports bettors, but nothing that would constitute as legal.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are risky to use because they’re based in far-off countries and not subject to real regulations or oversight. If something goes wrong with the organization or your account, it’s extremely hard to resolve the circumstance.
Our advice is to wait for legal and fully regulated choices to arrive from the United States.
In the forthcoming months, after March of 2019 in particular, we highly recommend returning to this a page for an update as we plan to continue to keep readers updated with things regarding the legalization of sports betting across America.
What Sports Can You Bet on Online in Florida?
As of now, there are no sports you can wager on lawfully online or off. However, if sports gambling does become legalized in the state of Florida, it’ll bring with it a whole slate of specialist and amateuer sports to wager on.
Florida has a massive sports culture and tons of pro teams for taxpayers to cause. Below are some of the state’s teams that will attract a good deal of betting action.
Soccer Florida is home to 3 NFL franchises in the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars which means Floridians will have plenty of local NFL choices to bet on if it will become legal.
The state also has a slew of NCAA teams with the biggest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Also drawing comparatively massive audiences for college ball would be the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls along with the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is huge in Florida and the country is represented by not one but two NBA teams: The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. When sports gambling becomes legal in Florida that you can expect a good deal of actions to centre around these two franchises.
When it comes to NCAA basketball Florida’s largest teams are the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.
Baseball
Two Major League Baseball teams call Florida house: The Miami Marlins along with the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which were founded in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training annually that might also be potential to bet on in the future.
Hockey
When you listen to ice hockey you may not think about Florida however, the sport is relatively popular with two NHL franchises based in the country. The Tampa Bay Lighting along with the Florida Panthers that play home games in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a town just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami.
Wagering On Different Sports
After legalization takes effect, people in Florida will be able to to wager on all manner of pro sports, not just teams based in the nation. Gator and Seminole lovers will also be excited to know that school sports should be available to wager on also, giving residents a chance to bet on dozens of college sports games every weekend.
When the time does come we view legalized sports betting in the state of Florida, it’d probably start with land based sportsbooks within a brick and mortar casino. Land-based gambling is generally accompanied by online sportsbooks that offer the exact same betting options as live places.
Is There No-Deposit Sports Betting in Florida?
Given that online sports gambling is still prohibited, the issue of no deposit betting is now moot. However, in case that online sports betting becomes lawful, residents of Florida can anticipate a similar strategy to what other nations are offering.
In countries like New York and Mississippi, bettors are often required to create a deposit upon enrollment so as to create real money stakes. Nevertheless, no-deposit promotions are popular and when you find one, consider it. Bear in mind, however, that any kind of promotion regarding no-deposit wagering generally includes a few strings attached.
Depositing rules differ from each online sportsbook you decide to utilize, so make sure to pay close attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal limitations and some additional fine print that includes the deal.
What Is the Future of Online Sports Betting in Florida?
The most immediate key date will probably come in March, since that is the next time the Florida Legislature will fulfill. Until then, there’s quite a lot of work that needs to be carried out in order to find out the consequences of legalized sports gambling on the existing compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
However, with an increasing number of countries opting for legalization, it’s likely a matter of when not if sports betting gambling will become legal in Florida. While the Sunshine State might be moving at a slower rate compared to its neighbors, we predict it is only a matter of time before legislation is passed to push legalization forward.
There is also belief that a important part of Florida’s wait-and-see approach involves analyzing how other states have employed legalized sports betting and using that information to ascertain the best path forward for themselves.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers in Florida
Have patience.
Simply put, there is far too much cash up for grabs for Florida to ignore legalized sports gambling forever, particularly as more and more states move in that way. When there are unique complications confronting Florida, nothing inspires politicians more than prospective revenue.
Add to that the fact that folks in Florida love sports and love to gamble and you have the recipe for a thriving sports gambling market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers all over the state. If you’re looking for updates on the situation, check back frequently as we will update this article as new information comes in.
We advocate circling March, 2019, in your calendars since it marks a meeting of the state legislature where talks on how Florida plans to move on this issue are on the agenda.
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