Sports betting has passed the FL legislature and is heading to the Gov for signature.
Pending legal challenges incoming on at least two fronts. Honestly, I think the *Amendment 3 lawsuit will be successful and thus the Seminole Gaming Compact will be on the 2022 ballot. At which time FL voters will approve it.
*in 2018, FL voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval of any gaming expansion.
Proponents of today’s passage claim that because all sports betting transactions occur on servers located on tribal lands, and Seminole territory is not legally part of the state of Florida, this is not an expansion of gaming in FL. It’s a fascinating argument. The FL Supreme Court is ruby red, packed with Rick Scott and DeSantis appointees. I have no handicap on how that can go.
And I won’t even go into the drama between the Scott and DeSantis camps. Rick Scott (a beta according to my friends on the right) tried to get this compact done for years. DeSantis (the alpha male) got it done in his third legislative session.
But for now, today we begin gearing up for sports betting in Florida this fall.