Another Lawsuit Against Florida Sports Betting Arises In DC

• Local businessmen along with No Casinos have filed a new lawsuit to prevent sports betting from launching in Florida.
• The lawsuit challenges the validity of sportsbooks going live in Florida based on a 2018 Florida constitutional amendment requirement.
• The Seminole Tribe of Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis are listed in the lawsuit.

WASHINGTON – Yet another lawsuit challenging the launch of sports betting in Florida has been filed, yet this time, it’s been done in Washington, DC.

The lawsuit was brought on by No Casino groups, Norman Braman, and Armando Codina. Braman and Codina are South Florida businessmen who are against expanded gambling in the state.

The new Florida sports betting compact has seen several lawsuits since gaining federal approval for a sports gaming market. Legislators still expect Florida to launch sports betting in October.

New Lawsuit

The lawsuit was filed on Monday, September 27, in federal court. This is the third lawsuit attacking the compact.

The argument surrounding this lawsuit alleges that the signing of the compact and subsequent federal approval violates Florida Amendment 3, an amendment that gives residents exclusive rights to deciding on the gambling laws in the Sunshine State.

No vote occurred surrounding the new gaming compact between the state legislature and the Seminole Tribe. The lawsuit specifically names Joe Biden’s administration, challenging them for violating federal law by approving the compact.

Will This Prevent Sports Betting From Launching

The lawsuit mainly focuses on sports betting taking place off of tribal casino grounds, like with mobile sportsbooks. This means that there is nothing legally preventing the Seminoles’ Hard Rock Casino from offering betting lines for the expected October launch.

Mobile and online sports betting, as well as satellite sportsbooks run at pari-mutuel locations, are the issue according to the lawsuits. These operators likely won’t go live when Florida officially launches regulated sports betting.

While no court has stopped sports gaming in any capacity as a result of the lawsuits, they are all listed as pending. The fate of these lawsuits remains unknown until they are officially reviewed by proceeding judges. The likeliest outcome is that Florida will go live with its sports wagering market in the next few weeks.

News tags: Amendment 3 | Armando Codina | Bonita Springs | Deb Haaland | Florida | Florida sports betting | Magic City Casino | Norman Braman | Ron DeSantis | Seminole Tribe of Florida | Washington DC | West Flagler Associates