US Supreme Court refuses challenge to Seminole Tribe of Florida’s online sports betting compact

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to take up a challenge to the agreement that gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to online sports betting in Florida.

The back and forth has been ongoing for some time, with the Supreme Court denying the petition from opponents of the compact on Monday (June 17).

This all began following the petition by the owners of one of the state’s oldest pari-mutuels who asked for the 2021 gaming agreement between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe of Florida to be invalidated.

The compact agreement allowed the tribe control over sports betting in Florida, with the tribe agreeing to pay the state at least $2.5 billion within the first five years of the deal.

In 2021, the tribe briefly launched an app aimed at allowing sports wagering throughout the state but this was shut down after the pari-mutuel companies filed a federal lawsuit.

The tribe then went ahead with its online sports betting operation launch at the end of 2023 despite ongoing challenges.

Setbacks for opponents in Florida online sports betting compact case

The refusal by the U.S. Supreme Court is the latest setback for West Flagler Associates and the Bonita-Fort Myers Corp.

Earlier this year, in March, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the companies had filed the wrong type of petition to challenge the compact. Just a month later, in April, West Flagler and Associates filed a writ of certiorari with the Court.

The Department of Justice then came back to say the case has no place before the court.

Daniel Wallach, a South Florida attorney and sports betting law expert, was quoted as saying: “What’s important with today’s announcement is that the most significant barrier to online sports betting has been removed.”

The opponents of the compact believe it gives the Seminole Tribe a sports betting monopoly and that the U.S. Department of Interior wrongly approved the company even though it violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. They say this is due to authorizing gambling off tribal lands.

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