The Seminole Tribe got some good news Friday. A motion filed by West Flagler Associates that would’ve suspended online sports betting in Florida was denied by the Florida Supreme Court.
That news, however, comes with a caveat. The road to fully legalized Florida online sports betting is a long one, and more legal machinations are ahead.
More on the motion’s denial
The Florida Supreme Court did not issue comments as part of its decision. However, the verdict was unanimous, with all seven Justices opposing West Flagler’s motion.
“The ‘Motion to Expedite Consideration of Request for All Writs Relief Pending Resolution of Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto and Suspend the Sports Betting Provisions Contained in §§ 285.710(13)(B)(7) & 849.142, Fla. Stat.’ is hereby denied,” the verdict read.
It took less than two weeks for the motion to be heard and dismissed. West Flagler filed it on Tuesday, Nov. 7, the same day the Seminole Tribe relaunched Hard Rock Bet to existing customers.
West Flagler’s next move
The motion was dismissed, which allows the Seminole Tribe to continue its rollout of Hard Rock Bet. However, it does not totally stop West Flagler’s efforts to stop sports betting in Florida.
On Monday, West Flagler requested an extension to file a petition to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Without an extension, the window to file will close on Monday, Dec. 11. Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, has until Friday, Dec. 1, to respond to West Flagler’s legal complaint.
In the meantime, the month of December is significant for several other reasons. Most notably, the Seminole Tribe is set to offer in-person sports betting at its six Florida casinos.
In addition, time will tell if the organization’s Hard Rock Bet relaunch is set to expand beyond former customers. The Seminole Tribe has exclusive Florida sports betting rights through the compact it signed with Gov. DeSantis in 2021. However, if the compact is invalidated, it could open the door for some of the country’s best sportsbooks to compete for a market share in the Sunshine State.
