After more than two years of legal back-and-forths, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has formally announced plans to move forward with expanded casino games and sports betting in its home state, based on the Gaming Compact signed and approved by the Tribe and the State of Florida in 2021. The decision was announced after the US Supreme Court sided with the tribe last month on the expanded gambling offerings, rejecting legal attempts to block the implementation of the compact.
Craps, roulette and sports betting will launch to the public on Thursday, December 7 at all three Seminole Casinos in South Florida: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. On Friday, December 8, the new games will launch at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa. And on Monday, December 11, the new games will launch at Seminole Casino Immokalee, near Naples, and Seminole Brighton Casino, on the northwest side of Lake Okeechobee.
The Seminole Tribe and Seminole Hard Rock announced plans to celebrate what they called “A New Era in Florida Gaming” with “star-studded” celebrations in December for the launch of craps, roulette and sports betting at all six Seminole Casinos.
It is worth noting that while the deal allows sports betting statewide via electronic devices, the tribe is moving forward initially with a more limited step of in-person sports betting. A lawsuit challenging broader online sports betting remains pending at the Florida Supreme Court.
“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 Marcellus Osceola Jr., Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminoles' Marcellus Osceola Jr.
“The Seminole Tribe of Florida’s new initiative will create jobs, increase tourism, and provide billions in added revenue for our state,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I was proud to work with the Tribe on our historic Gaming Compact and I look forward to its full implementation.”
Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casino complexes for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood. The Seminole Tribe of Florida was the first Indian Tribe in North America to open an unlimited stakes bingo hall, which debuted in 1979 and became the forerunner of the Indian Gaming movement.
“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 Chairman of Hard Rock International. “This is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league with the world’s great gaming destinations.”
This decision marks the latest development in a protracted legal dispute between the Seminole Tribe and other gaming operators in Florida, which first began in 2021, shortly after the tribe and the state entered into a new gaming compact.
Casinos in the state asked the high court to block the tribe’s sports betting deal, arguing it gave the Seminoles a monopoly over the vertical and violated the Constitution because it authorized gambling off of tribal lands. The compact included a “hub-and-spoke” plan that would allow gamblers to place mobile sports wagers anywhere in Florida, with bets handled by computer servers on tribal property.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/noticias/2023/11/02/69478-florida-seminole-tribe-to-launch-sports-betting-expanded-casino-games-in-december
