Everyone is fully aware that the state of Florida has a gambling scene, although this is pretty much totally controlled by the Seminole native tribe of Florida. Along with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, this is one of three federally recognised Seminole entities, being noted as such in 1957.
It was in 1975 that the tribe established tax-free smoke shops and a high-stakes bingo operation, and it was this that became one of the very first tribal gaming endeavours in the US.
Today, a handful of venues within the state of Florida provide options for horse racing betting and slot games, but the bulk of the business in this industry is controlled by the Seminole tribe. And this tribe now aims to expand even further, working alongside lawmakers in a bid to introduce the option of mobile sports betting there. That move could very well prove to be a win for the tribe and for the state itself. Yet, the final decision on such rests in the hands of the Floridian people.
If the talks regarding the mobile sports betting are successful, then the Sunshine State could end up following in the footsteps of New Jersey and its gambling possibilities. Of course, it was the Garden State that pushed to have the PASPA of 1992 overturned through the Supreme Court, which finally occurred in 2018, allowing individual states to legalise sports betting within their boundaries.
States Introduce Sports Betting One by One
Since the overturning of the PASPA law, several states have introduced various betting opportunities within, including Pennsylvania, which exists alongside the likes of Delaware and Nevada for providing an online gambling setup.
The Seminole tribe of Florida already owns the highly successful Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, but due to the current shut down of such establishments, the tribe is looking to pay for sole exclusive rights to online sports betting in the state. This means that there could be multiple online sites arising in the state that are under the ownership of the Seminole. Websites like Betenemy will be able to review these sportsbooks and provide detailed information on how they operate and what services they provide. That’s precisely what the site does now for active online bookmakers.
Of course, it depends upon what the residents of Florida have to say about the potential online sports betting market. New Jersey does have a lot to boast about with its own year-on-year returns from legal online betting and gaming, and the likelihood is that the Seminole tribe will use this example as a way of getting the majority on their side.
In a bid to sweeten the pot, the Seminole tribe has reportedly stated that it will pay $500 million for the first year, to obtain rights to online sports betting, and then $700 million every year after for the same perk. Lawmakers have the hopes that a legal sports betting industry will mitigate the effects of severe budget shortfalls that the state of Florida is currently experiencing.
