Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To DeSantis' Multibillion Agreement For Online Sports Betting In Florida
CNN -
The Supreme Court rejected an emergency bid Wednesday to block a multibillion-dollar contract between Florida and the Seminole Tribe to provide online sports wagering throughout the state.
The court's order implies that sports wagering might quickly be offered in Florida, although other pending legal difficulties in state courts might impact the exact timing.
T he contract, or "compact," was championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, approved by the US Department of the Interior and is slated to generate $2.5 billion in brand-new income over the next 5 years and an estimated $6 billion through 2030.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately to state that he respected the court's action, however questioned whether the deal could raise separate concerns under state law. He explained, however, that concerns under state law were not "squarely presented" in the present application brought by other gambling business.
The court's brief order could activate other states and tribes to pursue comparable offers.
Back in 2018, Florida voters authorized a referendum that amended the Florida Constitution to guarantee that any type of casino gaming would just be permitted in the state through a different referendum - to take power to approve such activity far from the state legislature.
But the 2018 referendum specifically took gambling and other gaming negotiated through a compact in between tribes 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 the tribe to use online sports wagering throughout the state as long as the servers receiving the wagers were found on tribal ground.
The following month, DeSantis signed a law that approved the compact in between the two celebrations. The Department of Interior did not obstruct the offer, which had the exact same legal impact as if it formally authorized it.
Other betting facilities, however, submitted suit, arguing that the compact was prohibited under the IGRA because that law just permitted betting on tribal lands. They submitted suit against the Interior Department, arguing that the compact must not have been authorized in the first place.
A district court accepted obstruct the compact however was reversed by a federal appeals court based in Washington, DC. The appeals court stated that the secretary of Interior had not exceeded her authority in allowing the contract.