Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Seminole Tribe sign sports betting deal
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe have agreed to a new gaming compact that would bring online sports betting to the country’s third most populous state.
The compact now heads to the state legislature. If passed, the compact would also need approval from the federal government.
The 30-year gaming compact between Florida and the Seminoles would allow the tribe to offer online sports betting and expand existing casinos with craps and roulette. Online sports betting would operate in partnership with Florida’s pari-mutuel facilities including horse tracks and jai alai locations.
“The Seminole Tribe of Florida is committed to a mutually-beneficial gaming compact with the State of Florida and looks forward to its approval by the Florida Legislature, the Seminole Tribal Council and the U.S. Department of the Interior,” Seminole Tribe Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. said in a statement.
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson said in a memo that the compact would create $2.5 billion revenue-sharing guarantee in the first five years, with $6 billion in new revenues for Florida through 2030.
“By comprehensively addressing issues raised for almost a decade, the 2021 Compact will maximize revenues for the state and provide new opportunities for both the Tribe and Florida’s pari-mutuel businesses by updating Florida law to better reflect the current gaming climate,” Simpson said in the memo.
The Seminole Tribe has previously held an adversarial attitude toward revenue sharing with the state. In 2019 the tribe withheld $350m, claiming Florida allowed privately held casinos to violate the Seminoles’ exclusivity on designated player card games.
Though Seminoles and Florida Gov. DeSantis are on better terms, the two sides must now wait to see if the state legislature indeed passes the revised compact.
The Sun Sentinel reports that anti-gambling activists will point to Amendment 3 passed by voters in 2018, a citizens’ initiative requiring 60% voter approval is the “the exclusive method of authorizing casino gambling” in the state.
Proponents of the compact argue that its language allows the legislature to legalize sports wagering.
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