Seminole Hard Rock Sportsbook App Suspends Operations

• The Seminole Tribe has suspended all operations for their Hard Rock Sportsbook app in the state of Florida.
• The suspension comes after the U.S. District Court ruled that the updated Florida-Seminole Gaming Compact violates the IGRA and is therefore void.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After operating for just over a month in the state of Florida, the Seminole Hard Rock Sportsbook app has temporarily suspended operations.

The shutdown of the Seminole Hard Rock Sportsbook app, the first mobile sports betting app in Florida, comes after a recent appellate court decision denying the Seminole Tribe’s motion for a temporary stay to be granted. This appeal came after U.S. District Court judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that the updated gaming compact violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in November.

All bets for events taking place after 11 a.m. on Saturday were voided, including all futures bets. This came at an unfortunate time for the Seminole Tribe, just prior to Conference Championship week in college football on Saturday and the NFL’s Week 13 slate on Sunday.

Any account that has a remaining balance will still be able to withdraw their funds, but account holders will no longer be able to make deposits or place wagers. Free bets will be returned to players in the event that the sportsbook becomes operational once again.

The tribe is not giving up the fight, however.

The Seminole Tribe plans to work with the state and the U.S. Department of Justice to “aggressively defend the validity of the 2021 compact before the appeals court,” according to Seminole attorney Barry Richard.

“Out of respect for the court decision the tribe has suspended the new operations,” said Richard. “Trial judges, even acting in the best of good faith, make legal errors, which are reversed on appeal,” said Richard. “We believe that the trial judge made a legal error here.”

The appeals process is typically lengthy, and can take over a year to be fully resolved. That said, there are two other options that could lead to a legalized gambling industry in Florida surrounding sports betting.

The first option is for the Seminole Tribe, with assistance from state lawmakers, to revive legislation that would allow for online betting under the IGRA.

The other option is a ballot initiative currently being worked on by FanDuel and DraftKings that would fully legalize and regulate the sports betting industry. The measure would be on the 2022 ballot, and launch would likely occur sometime in 2023.