Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To DeSantis' Multibillion Agreement For Online Sports Betting In Florida
CNN -
The Supreme Court declined an emergency bid Wednesday to obstruct a multibillion-dollar contract between Florida and the Seminole Tribe to provide online sports betting throughout the state.
The court's order indicates that sports wagering might quickly be readily available in Florida, although other pending legal challenges in state courts could affect the precise timing.
T he agreement, or "compact," was championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, authorized by the US Department of the Interior and is slated to bring in $2.5 billion in new revenue over the next 5 years and an estimated $6 billion through 2030.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote individually to state that he the court's action, but questioned whether the offer might raise separate concerns under state law. He explained, however, that issues under state law were not "squarely presented" in the current application brought by other betting companies.
The court's brief order could set off other states and people to pursue similar offers.
Back in 2018, Florida voters authorized a referendum that modified the Florida Constitution to guarantee that any kind of casino gaming would only be allowed the state through a separate referendum - to take power to approve such activity away from the state legislature.
But the 2018 referendum specifically took gambling and other gaming worked out through a compact between people and the state - so long as the compact was authorized by the federal government.
In 2021, the Seminole Tribe of Florida entered into an agreement with the state under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that allowed the tribe to offer online sports betting throughout the state as long as the servers getting the wagers were located on tribal ground.
The following month, DeSantis signed a law that approved the compact between the two parties. The Department of Interior did not obstruct the deal, which had the very same legal result as if it formally approved it.
Other wagering facilities, nevertheless, submitted suit, arguing that the compact was unlawful under the IGRA since that law only allowed wagering on tribal lands. They filed match versus the Interior Department, arguing that the compact ought to not have been authorized in the first place.
A district court concurred to obstruct the compact however was reversed by a federal appeals court based in Washington, DC. The appeals court said that the secretary of Interior had not exceeded her authority in enabling the contract.