The Seminole tribe is bringing back mobile betting in Florida.
The Seminole tribe of Florida has opened Hard Rock Bet in the Sunshine State.
Mobile sports betting for the Seminole Tribe
The Seminole tribe runs Hard Rock Bet, which is the only place in Florida where players can bet on sports online before the general public. People who have wagered with the operator before and members of Hard Rock's loyalty program Unity by Hard Rock who meet the requirements can get early access.
This comes a week after the tribe said it would start sports betting again in Florida. On December 7, craps, roulette, and sports betting will start at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, the Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, and the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.
On December 8, they will be offered at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
On December 11, the Seminole Casino Immokalee and Seminole Brighton Casino will open.
Hard Rock Bet said on X, which used to be called Twitter, that early access is now accessible.
The tweet said, "Early access to Hard Rock Bet is now live in Florida!" "People who have bet with Hard Rock Bet Florida before, including Unity by Hard Rock loyalty members who meet the requirements, can bet now."
The next phase in the deployment
The Seminoles had a glimmer of hope in their fight against sports betting when the US Supreme Court turned down West Flagler Associates' request to stay in October. Even though this didn't let the Seminoles start sports betting without any problems, it did provide the tribe a chance to do so, and they took full advantage of it.
Hard Rock Bet was already live in Florida in 2021, when Governor Ron DeSantis signed a gaming compact that let the Seminoles provide sports betting only in Florida.
However, this was stopped in December 2021 when the District of Columbia said that the compact broke the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers sued because they weren't sure if betting on sports through tribal-based servers was the same as betting on tribal grounds.
In September, West Flagler sued DeSantis and the Florida state legislature. The pari-mutuel betting company questioned whether DeSantis and the legislature had gone over their powers when they approved the 2021 gaming compact.
In August 2023, West Flagler stepped up its legal battles by filing a motion for a rehearing in the case it lost against Debra Haaland, the secretary of the interior, in June 2023.