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Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribal Chairman Marcellus Osceola II hold up the gaming agreement they signed in April 2021. Office of the Governor
Online sports betting in Florida is here to stay, for now, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida owns it, after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to a gambling agreement the tribe negotiated with the state.
The tribe’s monopoly on online sports betting would generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue for the Seminoles and the state, money that would go primarily to environmental conservation efforts.
“The Seminole Tribe of Florida applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to decline to hear the tribe’s gaming agreement case with the State of Florida,” Gary Bitner, a spokesman for the tribe, wrote in an email to the Herald on Monday. “This means that Seminole tribal members and all Floridians can look forward to a bright future brought about by this agreement.”
Gambling companies West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation had challenged the state’s gaming agreement with the tribe, known as the negotiated agreement, as a violation of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, saying gaming must take place on tribal lands. While servers and other electronic equipment that receive bets will be located on tribal lands, the controversial 2021 agreement allows Florida residents to place bets anywhere in the state.
“The agreement therefore clearly authorizes the tribe to leave Indian lands, and then “believed” that this gambling was seen as occurring “exclusively” exist Indian lands,” the company said February 8 Petition Appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The companies successfully made that argument to a U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C. The verdict was in their favor November 22, 2021. But the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Overturned this decision The agreement went into effect last summer. The Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, meaning the appeals court ruling remains in effect.
But for West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers, the battle may not be over yet.
In addition to the U.S. Supreme Court, the companies appealed to the Florida Supreme Court last year. The case was dismissed It’s just a technicality. The companies are likely to re-challenge the case, and it could end up back in court again.
“Our clients are not accepting media requests as they do not wish to comment,” West Flagler attorney Raquel A. Rodriguez said Monday by email.
Betting and Profits
In addition to online sports betting, the 2021 agreement allows Seminole Casinos to expand gaming operations to six casinos in Florida, including live sports betting, craps and roulette. Its two largest casinos are Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino TampaThere are two other casinos in Broward County: Seminole Coconut Creek Casino and Seminole Casino Classic In Hollywood.
Florida residents who want to bet on sports online can do so through Hard Rock Bet website and phone applications.
Although the agreement was signed three years ago, the tribe didn’t officially start hosting tournaments until December. (Online sports betting was briefly open in late 2021.) In January, the tribe began making monthly payments to the state under the agreement, with the most recent payment coming on Monday. In the six-month period from December to May, the tribe paid the state more than $357 million.
Dedicating the bulk of the deal’s funding to environmental protection was a top priority for Senate President Kathryn Passidomo, a Naples Republican. That priority became a reality through legislation passed this year and signed by DeSantis in early April.
bill, SB 1638,distribute $379 million From the budget revenue-sharing agreement passed this year to environmental projects.
These projects include:
▪ $100 million to acquire land in Florida wildlife corridor
▪ $100 million for upland (non-wetland) management and invasive species removal
▪ $100 million for the Florida Resilience Grant Program to protect Florida communities from storm damage and flooding
▪ $79 million for the state’s water quality improvement grant program
Senate spokeswoman Katie Beta said spending on water quality projects is expected to exceed $79 million over the next few years.
“Today’s decision ensures Floridians can continue to gamble while the money goes to Florida’s environment,” said Sen. Travis Hutson, a St. Augustine Republican and a bipartisan sponsor. original bill The bill will become a gaming agreement starting in 2021, and was passed into law this year to put most of the money into environmental projects.
DeSantis cited the agreement with the tribe in his veto last week. Over $200 million In the water quality project of the state budget, $18.1 million Some are from Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
DeSantis said he is not opposed to the projects but wants communities to apply for them through a state grant program. He said the tribes will provide at least $500 million in funding for the projects.
“Eventually there will probably be more because the inflows are pretty significant,” DeSantis said. “So all of those needs will be met.”
Tampa Bay Times reporter Lawrence Mower contributed to this report
This article was originally published on June 17, 2024, 2:34 pm.
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