West Flagler Pursuing Hard Rock Bet Shut Down in State Court

• West Flagler Associates filed a motion to immediately suspend Florida sports betting with the state Supreme Court.
• The Florida sports betting case is active in the Florida Supreme Court but a decision isn’t expected until 2024.
• The Hard Rock Bet app offering legal online sports betting went live on Tuesday morning.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – West Flagler Associates is calling upon the Florida Supreme Court to immediately suspend Florida sports betting. The Florida pari-mutuel company took action less than 12 hours after the Seminole Tribe launched online sports betting through the Hard Rock Bet app on Tuesday.

The legal sports betting battle between West Flagler and the Seminole Tribe has raged on for years. West Flagler was the main opponent of the 2021 Gaming Compact and spearheaded opposition once the case was overturned back in June.

Now, their ongoing pursuit to prevent legal Florida sports betting comes in the form of a motion to expedite consideration for suspending online sports betting. West Flagler is actively challenging the Florida gaming compact in the state’s Supreme Court, but West Flagler wants the Court to put a hold on sports betting until a final decision is made.

Daniel Wallach, legal expert and founder of Wallach Legal, shared a screenshot of the filing on X early Wednesday morning.

BREAKING: West Flagler files motion with the Florida Supreme Court to “expedite” consideration of its request for “all writs” relief to “immediately suspend” Florida’s sports betting law pending a final ruling in the case; says “exigency” has been created by the Seminole Tribe’s… pic.twitter.com/NWR06w3nE1

— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) November 8, 2023

“The only remedy available to prevent disruption of the status quo until the Court rules on the Petition is for the Court to use its “all writs” jurisdiction to immediately suspend the off-reservation sports betting provisions… until the Court has an opportunity to rule on the petition.”

The Florida Supreme Court’s “all writs” power allows them to issue a stay to “preserve the status quo” of a pending proceeding happening within the court. West Flagler was recently denied stay in the US Supreme Court, giving the Seminole Tribe the green light to launch.

Will The Florida Supreme Court Grant The Request?

That’s the million-dollar question for those in favor or against legal sports betting in Florida. Since Governor Ron DeSantis appointed five of the seven Florida Supreme Court justices, the odds aren’t in West Flagler’s favor.

The Hard Rock Bet app went live in Florida on Tuesday. Any returning member from 2021 can bet on the app at the time of writing.

News tags: Daniel Wallach | Florida | Hard Rock | Hard Rock Bet | Seminole Tribe | West Flagler