Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To DeSantis' Multibillion Agreement For Online Sports Betting In Florida
CNN -
The Supreme Court rejected an bid Wednesday to obstruct a multibillion-dollar arrangement in between Florida and the Seminole Tribe to offer online sports wagering throughout the state.
The court's order implies that sports wagering could quickly be readily available in Florida, although other pending legal challenges in state courts could affect the specific timing.
T he contract, or "compact," was promoted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, approved by the US Department of the Interior and is slated to bring in $2.5 billion in brand-new profits over the next five years and an approximated $6 billion through 2030.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately to state that he respected the court's action, but questioned whether the deal could raise separate questions under state law. He made clear, however, that issues under state law were not "squarely presented" in the present application brought by other gambling companies.
The court's short order might trigger other states and tribes to pursue comparable deals.
Back in 2018, Florida voters authorized a referendum that amended the Florida Constitution to make sure that any form of casino betting would only be permitted in the state through a separate referendum - to take power to authorize such activity away from the state legislature.
But the 2018 referendum particularly took betting and other video gaming negotiated through a compact between people and the state - so long as the compact was authorized by the federal government.
In 2021, the Seminole Tribe of Florida participated in an arrangement with the state under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that permitted the people to offer online sports betting throughout the state as long as the servers receiving the wagers were found on tribal ground.
The following month, DeSantis signed a law that approved the compact between the 2 parties. The Department of Interior did not block the offer, which had the exact same legal result as if it officially authorized it.
Other betting facilities, however, submitted fit, arguing that the compact was prohibited under the IGRA because that law just permitted wagering on tribal lands. They filed fit versus the Interior Department, arguing that the compact need to not have been approved in the very first place.
A district court concurred to obstruct the compact however was reversed by a federal appeals court based in Washington, DC. The appeals court said that the secretary of Interior hadn't overstepped her authority in enabling the contract.