Sports betting. It is a phenomenon that has taken over the United States in recent years. In 2023, the US sports betting industry had about $11 billion in revenue.
It is safe to say that this has become a lucrative revenue stream for certain states. That is why the state of Florida has such a contentious case surrounding this. Today, there was a big ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that will dramatically impact the future of sports betting in the state of Florida.
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Florida Sports Betting Case
This morning, it was announced that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a sports betting case that it was presented. It involved an ongoing battle between the Seminole Tribe and the state of Florida.
The dismissal is a huge win for not only the Seminole Tribe but sports bettors in Florida. Why is this?
For starters, there was controversy surrounding the letter of the law. The Seminole Tribe claimed they had the right to set up a sports betting app for Florida bettors because the servers that allow the app to run are located on native land. However, the state of Florida challenged that the law was meant for bettors to be physically located on native land if they were going to place sports bets.
In other words, the dismissal of this case allows the current sports betting app to continue running throughout Florida. Now, it is unlikely that this law will be challenged again until around 2051.
History of Florida Sports Betting
Florida did not jump on the sports betting bandwagon as fast as other states. While states like New Jersey started as soon as 2018, Florida did not get their feet wet until 2021. Hard Rock Bet is the one and only sports betting app that dived into this scene. It is important to note the Seminole Tribe owns this app.
This sports betting app originally made its debut in Florida in 2021. However, thanks to the state challenging the legality of this app, it had to be shut down until November 2023. It has been running smoothly since then.
Is This Good for Floridians?
About 39% of Americans bet on sports. It is safe to say that is a significant percentage of the country’s population. However, this does not mean it is a good thing for people to be betting on sports.
An estimated 2.5 million Americans are considered to have a severe gambling problem each year. With this being one of the fastest-growing addictions in the country, this is something Floridians will have to keep an eye on moving forward.
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