It has been revealed that the Federal Department of the Interior has approved a compact agreement that will enable sports betting in Florida through the Seminole Tribe that includes mobile sports betting across the state.
The approval will see the compact allowing sports betting exclusively through the Tribe online and in its class III gaming facilities. In addition, it would allow the introduction of new games, such as roulette, dice games and fantasy sports contests, at the tribe’s Hard Rock-branded casinos.
The Department of the Interior had 45 days to approve or disapprove the compact once it was received. The Department took no action in that period and the compact is therefore considered approved and will become law once it appears in the Federal Register.
The approval of the compact will allow the Tribe to enter into partnerships with pari-mutuel betting operators to offer sports betting in the state. The Tribe will, however, be required to also pay 13.75% in sports betting revenue from players who bet using the pari-mutuel sports betting operators.
Under Amendment 3 of Florida’s constitution, any casino gambling taking place outside tribal property must be approved by a referendum.
According to the Tribe, however, the fact that the compact outlines that all servers taking bets must be located in tribal casinos ensures that a referendum is not required.
The subcommittee passed the compact by a 13-4 vote, while the House passed it with an 18-1 vote. However, the compact could still be subject to a legal challenge.
