Could online casino gaming be headed to Florida in the near future? According to one report, it could happen as soon as 2025. Ryan Butler of Covers reported on X earlier this month that the Seminole Tribe could begin discussions with Florida officials about adding iGaming next year.
The tribe, which owns and operates the Hard Rock brand of casinos across the country, amended its existing compact in the state in 2021. In that agreement, the Seminole Tribe received exclusive rights to offer online Florida sports betting. That deal survived a years-long legal challenge earlier this year after the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to take up the appeal of two commercial parimutuel gaming operators in Florida.
That legal case, in which a federal appeals court overturned a lower court’s ruling that blocked the tribe from operating its Hard Rock Bet app across the Sunshine State, has established a new precedent for tribal nations’ ability to offer online gaming, with the U.S. Department of the Interior proposing new rules earlier this year that fall in line with the viewpoint that mobile wagering is considered taking place on tribal land – even if the bettor is using the app away from sovereign territory – as long as the gaming servers are housed there.
Florida iGaming is still several steps from becoming a reality. Even if Seminole leaders reach an agreement with the DeSantis Administration, that deal would require legislative approval.
The Interior Department also would need to review the compact, and those reviewing it would not be part of the Biden Administration. Instead, that would take place with officials appointed by President-elect Donald Trump, whose first term in office from 2017-2021 sought restrictions on online gambling.
Seminole Tribe ‘Focused’ On Florida Sports Betting
A spokesperson for the Seminole Tribe told FloridaBet that offering online casino gaming is not on its radar for the time being.
“The Seminole Tribe and Seminole Gaming are focused on wrapping up the successful first full year of operations under the Gaming Compact with the State of Florida,” they said.
That statement still leaves the door open for new discussions on the 30-year deal, which also gave the Seminole Tribe the right to build three new casinos on its federally recognized sovereign lands. The Seminole Tribe operates casinos in Tampa and across southern parts of the state, including ones in Hollywood, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
However, the ability to offer iGaming would open the door for residents to play slot machines, blackjack and other table games in places like Jacksonville and the panhandle, which are three or more hours away by car from Hard Rock’s Tampa casino.
What Would Florida iGaming Generate?
With more than 22.5 million residents, Florida is the third-most populated state in the country and the largest in the nation to offer sports betting. Handle and revenue figures are not reported, but based on reports from other similarly sized states, it’s likely that Hard Rock Bet will generate a multi-billion dollar handle each year, with the tribal nation receiving hundreds of millions in revenue.
As large as online sports betting has become, iGaming would provide a substantially larger revenue stream for the tribe and the state. For example, earlier this month, New Jersey reported that its licensed gaming operators won $556.9 million in November. The Garden State’s land-based casinos accounted for $223.9 million of that, and the state’s iGaming operators generated $214 million.
New Jersey’s sportsbooks reported revenues totaling $119 million for November, which typically is one of the largest months for sports betting due to the NFL and college football being in full swing.
Those online revenue figures come from 13 licensed sports betting operators and more than 30 approved online casino apps. Hard Rock has exclusive rights, but the existing compact allows for other operators to enter the market, provided the Seminole Tribe gets 40% of the revenue.
FloridaBet will continue to monitor the potential for Florida iGaming as we head into 2025.
