The Florida Seminole tribe continue to seek a major gambling deal with the state and have entered into agreements with five pari-mutuel entities to support the marketing of sports betting.
The gambling deal, negotiated by Governor Ron DeSantis this spring and approved by lawmakers during a special session in May, allows the tribe to operate online sports betting that is available to people across the state.
However, part of the deal also required the tribe to negotiate agreements with pari-mutuel establishments that market sports betting and obtain a 60% profit cut through marketing.
The tribe announced Thursday that they had made agreements with:
- The Palm Beach Kennel Club.
- Hialeah Park Casino.
- Ocala Gainesville Poker and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.
- Tampa Bay Downs.
- TGT Poker & Racebook in Tampa.
The tribe, who said they expected to sign agreements with other pari-mutuels, have not announced when sports betting will start.
Previous coverage from the USA TODAY Network-Florida:
“Today’s announcement follows the tribe’s commitment to include pari-mutuel marketing partners in Florida sports betting,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and chairman of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe, in a statement.
“They are an important building block for the upcoming introduction of sports betting throughout the state of Florida.”
Sports betting was banned in most parts of the country until 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal law in a New Jersey case. Since then, many states have begun allowing betting on sporting events, at least in part to collect taxpayers’ money.
The new Florida law will allow players across the state to place sports bets on smartphones or other online devices, with bets being run through servers located on the Seminole Tribe site. Pari-mutuels who enter into contracts with the tribe will market sports betting at their facilities.
Under the contract, known as the Contract, the tribe is set to pay $ 2.5 billion to the state over the first five years. That is in exchange for being able to play sports bets and offer games like craps and roulette in tribal casinos.
The tribe said Thursday the state received an initial payment of $ 37 million in October. DeSantis issued a statement in which he described the compact as “historic”.
“This contract will not only bring guaranteed revenue of $ 2.5 billion over the next five years, but will also bring Florida companies in Pari Mutuel state together in a creative partnership with the Seminole Tribe for better access to Safe and transparent sports betting offers in Florida, ”said DeSantis.
But the pact has drawn legal challenges, at least in part because of the sports betting plan.
The owners of pari-mutuels Magic City Casino in Miami-Dade County and the Bonita Springs Poker Room in Southwest Florida have filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, DC, as have two prominent South Florida businessmen and the No Casinos group.
These pending lawsuits were filed against the U.S. Department of the Interior, which is overseeing the problems of Indian gambling and has allowed the pact to move forward.
The owners of Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room also filed a federal lawsuit in Tallahassee, but US District Judge Allen Winsor dismissed the case this month.
Among other things, the owners of Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room argued that sports betting, operated by the tribe, would harm their business.
“The 2021 Pact will significantly harm the plaintiffs’ businesses by introducing online gambling in Florida and giving the tribe the exclusive right to participate,” said the lawsuit filed in Tallahassee.
“As a result, anyone physically located in Florida, including plaintiffs’ customers, can place sports bets online with the tribe from home or from anywhere in Florida where they have access to an Internet connection,” he added.
“This approval will therefore have a significant and potentially devastating competitive impact on plaintiffs and the brick and mortar businesses whose profits depend on individuals who come into their business to pursue gambling activities.”
© 2021 The Florida Intelligence Service. All rights reserved.
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The post Sports betting agreements between Seminole Tribe, pari-mutuels first appeared on Daily Florida Press.from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/sports-betting-agreements-between-seminole-tribe-pari-mutuels/
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