The Seminole Tribe in Florida may have recently relaunched mobile sports betting statewide, but the legal battle over the issue is still ongoing. The longtime plaintiffs in the legal wrangling, the owners of Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room (known as West Flagler Associates), have asked the state Supreme Court to halt the tribe’s online sports betting operation.
The group also filed a final brief with the court Tuesday, asking the court to void the tribe’s agreement with the state that gave the Seminoles a monopoly on mobile sports betting in the state. A court ruling is now expected at any time, according to media reports in Florida.
In its latest filing with the state Supreme Court, West-Flagler emphasized the point at which voters agreed to stop expanded gaming in the 2018 statewide election. Lawyers say Amendment 3 only allows voters to grant the authority to expand gaming in the state.
“The only parties necessary before the court are therefore the legislature that enacted the implementing law, the governor who signed the charter and the implementing law, and the people (through the petitioners) whose constitutional authority has been usurped,” the lawyers noted. Summary to the court.
The ruling would finally put an end to the legal wrangling that began after the courts initially temporarily halted betting in 2021 — that is, unless the federal Supreme Court decides to reconsider the case.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys have already appealed the case to the federal Supreme Court, arguing that the agreement violates the equal protection aspects of the Constitution by giving “an Indian tribe a statewide monopoly on online sports while simultaneously making such conduct a felony if done by any A person of a different race, ancestry, ethnicity, or national origin.”
The Supreme Court gave the tribe a favorable ruling, although Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed some agreement with the equal protection case. However, he agreed that the case should be heard at the state Supreme Court level, and that it is possible that the justices will consider the case later.
Since the Supreme Court struck down a federal law banning nearly all sports betting outside of Nevada in 2018, more than two-thirds of states have legalized betting. Vermont is one of the latest places to launch with betting starting on January 11th.
