Opponents of the Seminole Tribe’s exclusive right to operate sports betting in Florida were dealt a fresh blow by the US Supreme Court on Monday.
The court denied a petition from West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers, both of which have challenged the gaming compact with several rounds of legal filings.
Daniel Wallach, a South Florida attorney, had asked the Supreme Court to either advance the case or drop it in its entirety in the latest round of debate.
He said, as quoted by the Associated Press: “What’s important with today’s announcement is that the most significant barrier to online sports betting in Florida has been removed.”
The two plaintiffs claim that the Seminole Tribe’s ability to allow bets to be placed anywhere in Florida - when only the Seminole’s back-end technology is based on tribal lands - goes against the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which requires gaming to occur on tribal lands.
However, the Associated Press reported that lawyers for Governor Ron DeSantis, who signed the compact into law, have said sports betting is different to casino gaming and is therefore not in violation of the regulations.
Wallach said tribes in other states “stand to benefit from this decision,” which has created a “clear roadmap that has cleared judicial review.”
“I would expect to see efforts ramped up in other states,” he said.
