Florida Sports Betting Compact Jeopardized, Judge Takes Case

• Judge Dabney Friedrich chastises the US Department of Justice for not being prepared to answer questions about the legality of the Florida sports betting compact.
• Lawmakers attempted to have the case dismissed and did not present a valid argument.
  Judge Friedrich has given the Department of Justice until Tuesday to present a valid argument.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The US Department of Justice was scrutinized during the trial challenging the Florida sports betting compact by US District Judge Dabney Fredrich.

Judge Friedrich criticized lawyers from the Department for failing to be prepared to present adequate reasoning why the Florida sports betting compact did not violate the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).

Lawmakers had until Tuesday to present their arguments. This is a bad sign for the state of the compact in Florida.

Florida Sports Betting In Hot Water

The sports betting market in Florida is already live as the legal gambling app for the Hard Rock Sportsbook launched ahead of the court date.

The launch came following an initial ruling to dismiss a second Florida lawsuit. Due to the previous ruling, it appeared that the US Department of Justice was overconfident heading into court.

“It’s hard not to sit here and think that the government’s whole litigation strategy here is to delay this court from ruling,” said Friedrich.

Owners of the Magic City Casino in Miami-Dade County and Bonita Springs Poker Room in Southwest Florida were the ones who challenged the initial compact passing federally. The argument was that the Department of Interior does not have the authority to allow sports betting in Florida, deeming the compact “legal-fiction”.

They also argued that sports betting would have a negative impact on their business.

When presenting their counterargument, the Justice Department argued that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge the Department of the interior.

An additional argument that arose was the government’s stance on whether or not Florida sports gambling that occurs anywhere in the state still classifies as taking place on Seminole grounds. Technically, the Seminoles are only allowed to offer gambling on tribal lands.

“Stop right there,” said Friedrich. “Help me understand. I’m having a hard time following that position. All of the online gaming is happening on tribal lands? That’s your position?”

What Does This Mean For Sports Betting?

Sports betting continues to be offered in Florida. However, this can be shut down if the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs. The Hard Rock mobile sportsbook could get shut down, forcing the Seminoles to issue refunds.

What could also happen, is that the Department of Justice presents a legitimate argument in the next hearing and successfully beats the case.

Right now, the fate of sports betting in Florida is up in the air.