New Florida bill would allow mobile sports betting under lottery control

November 19, 2019
By

Florida Sen. Jeff Brandes filed a trio of bills that would set the path for online sports betting in the US' third-most populated state.
Sports betting would be conducted by the state lottery, and wagers would mostly take place on mobile devices or at lottery kiosks.
License fees would cost $100,000 and licensees would pay a 15% tax rate on revenue.
 
Efforts to grow sports betting in Florida face several obstacles.
 
Last November, voters passed Amendment 3 to the state constitution, which gives them the right to authorize new casino gambling in the state.
 
The powerful Seminole Tribe supported the amendment, as it gives pro-gambling state
legislators another roadblock to consider when crafting betting legalization bills.
 
The Seminoles previously signed a 2010 gaming compact that gave the tribe exclusive rights to banked card games such as blackjack.
 
The compact, once expected to be a windfall for the state, now generates no revenue for Florida after the Seminoles argued its exclusivity over banked card games had been reneged.
 
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being withheld by the Seminoles over the dispute.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a $91.4bn budget proposal Monday that does not account for money from the tribe.
 
State lawmakers would almost certainly need the support of the Seminoles to pass any sports betting legislation.
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