Hard Rock Bet Launches Limited Florida Online Sports Betting For Existing Customers

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) yells after wide receiver Christian Kirk (13), not shown, caught a pass for a touchdown score during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 37-20.Hard Rock Bet is now live in a limited capacity in FloridaOnly available for existing customers to test its platformFlorida online sports betting is now live after more than two years

After more than two years of wondering when it would happen, Florida online sports betting is once again live, albeit it in a limited fashion.

Multiple readers alerted Sports Betting Dime this morning that the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Bet sports betting app was live in the state. A Seminole Tribe representative confirmed the news.  It’s been more than two years since Florida online sports betting was first launched (and shut down after less than a month) by the Seminole Tribe.

The Hard Rock casinos are also still planning to launch in-person sports betting, roulette, and craps throughout the state on Thursday, Dec. 7.

We’ll continue to update this story as more information comes in.

Limited Sports Betting Access Right Now

While the Hard Rock Bet sportsbook is currently live in the state, a Seminole Tribe spokesperson said it would only be offered through “limited access” at the moment.

“The Seminole Tribe is offering limited access to existing Florida customers to test its Hard Rock Bet platform,” the spokesperson said.

No additional information was provided to Sports Betting Dime as to how long the sportsbook app will be available, if it would be turned off after the testing phase was completed, or when it would be available for all Florida customers.

Florida online sports betting was first launched on Nov. 1, 2021, but shut down the app in early December 2021 after its gaming compact with Florida was dismissed by District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

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— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) November 7, 2023

Florida Sports Betting’s Long Journey

The Seminole Tribe and Hard Rock are still facing an open lawsuit from West Flagler Associates in the Florida Supreme Court and a potential lawsuit in U.S. Supreme Court.

SCOTUS recently denied a stay request from West Flagler Associates and lifted a temporary stay of the mandated ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts on Oct. 12. For SCOTUS to grant a stay, West Flagler had to satisfy several pieces of criteria. The party had to establish that at least four SCOTUS justices would consider the issue sufficient to grant certiorari; that a majority of SCOTUS would likely vote to reverse the judgement; and a likelihood of irreparable harm would result from the denial of a stay.

West Flagler failed to satisfy these requirements and the stay was denied by SCOTUS.

The denial of the stay means the D.C. Circuit Court’s mandate to restore the state’s gaming compact is now back in effect. The 2021 gaming compact allows the Seminole Tribe to offer retail sports betting, online sports betting through a “hub-and-spoke” system where servers on tribal land would process bets placed throughout the state, and craps/roulette at tribal casinos.

Despite the ruling, Justice Brett Kavanaugh issued an opinion upholding the stay denial, but noted that he held separate concerns with the 2021 Florida gaming compact.

West Flagler must petition SCOTUS to hear its lawsuit by the start of December.

How Did Florida Get Here?

Florida’s sports betting journey began in 2021 when the state approved a 30-year gaming compact that granted the Seminole Tribe exclusive retail and online sports betting rights in the state. The gaming compact granted the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to online sports betting through a “hub-and-spoke” system, as well as expanded gaming rights, in exchange for at least $2.5 billion over the first five years. The “hub and spoke” system allowed sports bets to be placed anywhere in the state as long as they were processed by computer servers located on Tribal Land.

The gaming compact also allows casinos to offer craps and roulette.

The gaming compact was thrown out by Friedrich in November 2021. Ultimately, Friedrich determined the compact violated the conditions set forth by IGRA that limits tribal gaming to the confines of tribal lands. The Seminole Tribe argued in the gaming compact that because the servers that processed the online sports bets were located on tribal land, then the bets themselves were placed on tribal lands.

The three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the the District of Columbia disagreed with her ruling. The court vacated the opinion of the district court and ruled in favor of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who initially approved the gaming compact.

Currently, West Flagler Associates has a lawsuit against the online sports betting provision in the gaming compact with the Florida Supreme Court.