Presently online and offline sports betting is not legal in the state of Florida, but hopefully that won’t be the case for long. Florida is in a exceptional position when it comes to legalizing online sports gambling. Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), many states jumped headfirst into this multi-billion dollar industry and immediately legalized sports gambling.
Florida, unfortunately, was not among these.
There are numerous reasons this is true but the largest one has to do with the nation’s longtime streamlined with the Seminole Tribe, which we’ll tell you more about beneath. The uncertainty about the long term future of the agreement has been the biggest variable in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see strategy to legalization.
Nevertheless, there are solutions for residents of Florida while they await the nation’s legislators to behave. Daily fantasy sports sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing websites like TwinSpires also function in the state.
The lack of urgency and movement on this matter is certainly frustrating for gamers, however it may not remain this way indefinitely.
The sport betting landscape is shifting across the country and while it is taking some state’s a long time (some longer than others), it’s widely believed that it is only a matter of time until Florida gets in on the action.
This page is the complete guide to what you want to learn about the past, present, and future of online sports betting in Florida. We’ll explain the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in much more detail and explain how it figures into how sports gambling regulation will take shape in Florida in the years ahead.
We’ll also keep this page update with significant advancements that can help or hurt Florida’s chances of presenting legal sports gambling in the near future.
To learn more on other states, read our state by state guides to US sports betting laws.
Best Legal Betting Options at Florida
DraftKings DFS
DraftKings
Florida ???
$10 Welcome Bonus*
With your first deposit of $5 or more
Daily Fantasy Sports
FanDuel DFS
FanDuel
Florida ???
$5 Welcome Bonus
With your first deposit of 5 or more
Daily Fantasy Sports
TwinSpires
TwinSpires
Florida ???
$100 Sign-Up Bonus
Opt-in before register to qualify Horse Racing
*Qualification restrictions apply. See site for information. Bonus is at DK Dollars.
The Recent Online Sports Betting Situation at Florida
When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 it opened the door for every state to make their own decisions with regards to legalizing sports gambling in their jurisdiction. Each state can choose whether to perform it at all and if so, how the regulations will operate.
Since each state has its own history and political/economic climate, we’re very likely to see change happen at a different rate depending on which part of the country you’re discussing.
Sometimes the switch to legal sports gambling was in the works and happened immediately. In other regions the switch looks inevitable and is only waiting for legislation or other red tape to be taken care of. In other areas, legalization of sports gambling might not occur at all.
Florida falls somewhere in the midst of these classes. The state is receptive to betting in general but there is legal work that needs to be done before full-scale sports gambling will be made available.
The current state of legal online sports gambling in Florida is somewhat complex, to say the least.
Even though Florida has the ability to legalize sports gambling, there are a couple of things standing whatsoever. The largest obstacle is the pact that the state has the Seminole Tribe.
Basically, the agreement gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on all casino games (blackjack, pai gow, casino poker variants, etc). However, the agreement has become somewhat tenuous and the new probability of sports gambling has made the discussions even more complicated.
As it stands right now, nothing is currently occurring about the legalization front and the first opportunity for anything to change is March 2019, when the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida certainly does not fall into the”Never going to happen” category when it comes to legal sports gambling but it’s also not going to be leading the charge towards law. Like most nations, however, Florida will have a hard time ignoring the possible earnings when they visit other neighboring states start to reap the rewards.
The Annals of Online Sports Betting at Florida
Florida is one of the states where sports betting laws have not changed much over the past 50 years or so.
Over the decades America has been through a range of reforms when it comes to the laws regulating sports gambling. From the early 60s, in an effort to combat organized crime and mob related racketeering, the US authorities made inter-state sports gambling illegal with the Federal Wire act.
The problem with this course of actions, not unlike what happened with the prohibition of alcohol, is it only drove the business and stream of money farther underground.
Three years later, in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was released in a bid to protect the integrity of American sport by making gambling on matches illegal anywhere outside of Nevada. Americans might not have been in a position to gamble on sports domestically but it wasn’t long after that the net made it possible for offshore sportsbooks to provide their services to US players online.
Since then, the US has missed out on a huge revenue opportunity in the form of controlled sports betting. There is clearly a massive market for it as Americans spend billions annually wagering online in vegas and through unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of the writing, sports gambling has never been legal in Florida, intriguing because the state has a comparatively large gambling culture.
Racetracks and casinos are common place throughout the state, yet neither provides legalized sports gambling. The nearest thing folks in Florida can bet on is puppy and horse-racing along with the sport of jai alai that has been legal and popular to bet on at the state since the 1960s.
The only option sports gamblers have to place wagers on games is to use one of many offshore options, which are currently illegal.
Which Online Sports Betting Sites Are Legal in Florida?
As you can imagine, there aren’t any”legal” online sports gambling sites in Florida. But, several offshore choices exist for online sports gamblers, but nothing which would constitute as legal.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are insecure to use because they’re located in far-off countries rather than subject to authentic oversight or regulations. If something goes wrong with the company or your accounts, it is extremely hard to fix the circumstance.
Our advice is to wait for legal and fully controlled choices to arrive from the United States.
In the coming months, and after March of 2019 specifically, we highly suggest returning for this webpage for an upgrade as we intend to continue to keep readers updated with things concerning the legalization of sport gambling across America.
What Sports Could You Bet on Online in Florida?
As of now, there are not any sports you can bet on lawfully online or away. But if sports gambling does become legalized in the state of Florida, it’ll bring with it a whole slate of professional and amateuer sports to wager on.
Florida has a huge sports culture and lots of pro teams for taxpayers to root for. Below are a few of the state’s teams which will attract a good deal of betting action.
Football Florida is home to 3 NFL franchises in the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars so Floridians will have plenty of neighborhood NFL choices to bet on when it will become legal.
The state also includes a ton of NCAA teams with the largest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Also drawing relatively large crowds for college ball would be the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls along with the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is enormous in Florida and the country is represented by not one but two NBA teams: The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. When sports gambling becomes lawful in Florida that you can expect a good deal of actions to center around both of these franchises.
When it comes to NCAA basketball Florida’s biggest teams would be the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.
Baseball
Two Major League Baseball teams call Florida home: The Miami Marlins along with the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which were set up in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training annually that might also be potential to bet on in the future.
Hockey
If you hear ice hockey you might not think about Florida but the game is relatively popular with two NHL franchises located in the country. The Tampa Bay Lighting along with the Florida Panthers which play home games at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a town just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami.
Wagering on Other Sports
Once legalization occurs effect, individuals in Florida will be able to wager on all manner of pro sports, not only teams located in the state. Gator and Seminole lovers are also excited to know that school sports should be accessible to bet on also, giving residents a chance to bet on heaps of college sports matches each weekend.
When the time does come we see legalized sports gambling in the state of Florida, it would most likely start with property based sportsbooks within a brick and mortar casino. Land-based betting is usually accompanied by online sportsbooks offering the exact same betting options as live venues.
Can There Be No-Deposit Sports Betting at Florida?
Given that online sports gambling remains illegal, the issue of no deposit betting is currently moot. Nonetheless, in the event that online sports betting becomes lawful, citizens of Florida can expect a similar strategy to what other nations are currently offering.
In states like New York and Mississippi, bettors are usually required to make a deposit upon registration in order to create real money bets. Nevertheless, no-deposit promotions are somewhat very popular and should you find one, take it. Always remember, however, that any type of advertising regarding no-deposit wagering generally includes a few strings attached.
Depositing rules vary from every online sportsbook you decide to utilize, so be sure that you pay careful attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal limitations and any other fine print that includes the offer.
What Is the Future of Online Sports Betting at Florida?
The most immediate key date will come in March, since that’s the next time the Florida Legislature will meet. Until then, there is quite a bit of work that should be done as a way to figure out the implications of legalized sports betting on the present compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
But with more and more countries opting for legalization, it’s probably a matter of when not if sports gambling is becoming legal in Florida. Though the Sunshine State might be proceeding at a slower pace than its neighbours, we predict it is simply a matter of time until legislation is passed on to push legalization forward.
There’s also belief that a key portion of Florida’s wait-and-see approach includes analyzing how other states have employed legalized sports betting and utilizing that information to ascertain the best path ahead.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers in Florida
Have patience.
Simply put, there is far too much money up for grabs for Florida to ignore legalized sports betting forever, particularly as more and more countries move in that direction. While there are unique complications confronting Florida, nothing inspires politicians more than prospective earnings.
Add to the fact that people in Florida love sports and love to gamble and you have the recipe for a booming sports betting market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers all over the state. If you’re on the lookout for updates about the situation, check back frequently as we’ll update this article as new info comes in.
We recommend circling March, 2019, on your calendars as it marks a meeting of the state legislature where talks on how Florida plans to move on this issue are on the agenda.
Read more here: http://muliandolekinaadvocates.com/?p=21204