Presently offline and online sports gambling is not legal in the state of Florida, but hopefully that won’t be the case for longterm. Florida is in a exceptional position when it comes to legalizing online sports betting. Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), many nations jumped headfirst into this multi-billion dollar industry and instantly legalized sports gambling.
Florida, unfortunately, was not among these.
There are numerous reasons this is true but the biggest one has to do with the state’s longtime streamlined with the Seminole Tribe, which we’ll tell you more about beneath. The uncertainty about the long-term future of this agreement has become the biggest factor in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see strategy to legalization.
Nevertheless, there are solutions for taxpayers of Florida while they wait for the state’s legislators to behave. Daily fantasy sports sites for example DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing websites like TwinSpires also operate in the state.
The lack of urgency and motion on this matter is certainly frustrating for gamers, however it might not stay this way indefinitely.
The sport gambling landscape is shifting across the country and while it’s taking some state’s a long time (some longer than others), it’s widely believed that it is only a matter of time until Florida gets in on the action.
This page is the complete guide to everything you need to learn more about the past, current, and future of internet sports gambling in Florida. We are going to clarify the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in more detail and describe how it figures into how sports gambling law will take shape in Florida in years to come.
We will also keep this page update with important developments that can help or harm Florida’s chances of introducing legal sports gambling in the not too distant future.
For more information on other nations, read our country by state guides to US sports gambling laws.
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The Current Online Sports Betting Situation in Florida
When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 it opened the door for each state to create their own conclusions with respect to legalizing sports gambling in their jurisdiction. Each state can choose whether to perform it at all and if so, how the regulations will work.
Since every state has its own history and political/economic climate, we’re very likely to see change happen at a different rate depending on which part of the nation you’re talking about.
Sometimes the switch to legal sports betting was in the works and also happened immediately. In other areas the switch looks inevitable and is only waiting for legislation or other red tape to be dealt with. In other areas, legalization of sport gambling might not occur in any way.
Florida falls somewhere in the middle of those groups. The country is receptive to gambling in general but there is legal work that has to be done before full-scale sports gambling will be made accessible.
The present state of legal online sports gambling in Florida is a bit complicated, to say the least.
Though Florida now has the ability to legalize sports gambling, there are a couple of things standing in the way. The biggest barrier is that the pact that the country has with the Seminole Tribe.
Essentially, the arrangement gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on most of casino games (blackjack, pai gow, casino poker variants, etc). However, the agreement has gotten somewhat tenuous and the new probability of legal sports betting has made the negotiations more complicated.
As it stands right now, nothing is now happening about the legalization front and also the first opportunity for anything to change is March 2019, when the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida certainly doesn’t fall to the”Never going to happen” class when it comes to legal sports betting but it’s also not likely to be leading the charge towards regulation. Like many states, though, Florida will have a hard time ignoring the possible earnings when they visit other neighboring states start to reap the benefits.
The History of Online Sports Betting in Florida
Florida is among those states where sports gambling laws have not changed much over the past 50 decades or so.
Over the decades America has been through a range of reforms as soon as it comes to the laws governing sports gambling. From the early 60s, in an effort to combat organized crime and mob related racketeering, the US government made inter-state sports gambling illegal with the Federal Wire act.
The issue with that plan of actions, not as what occurred with the prohibition of alcohol, is that it only drove the business and stream of cash further underground.
Three years later, in 1992, the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was introduced in a bid to protect the integrity of American sports by making gambling on matches illegal anywhere outside Nevada. Americans may not have been in a position to bet on sports but it wasn’t long then the internet made it possible for offshore sportsbooks to offer their services to US players online.
Since then, the US has missed out on a massive revenue opportunity in the kind of controlled sports betting. There is clearly a huge market for it as Americans spend billions annually wagering on sports in vegas and through unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of the writing, sports gambling has never been legal in Florida, intriguing because the state has a relatively large gambling culture.
Racetracks and casinos are common place throughout the state, yet neither provides legalized sports gambling. The closest thing people in Florida can gamble on is puppy and horse-racing along with the sport of jai alai which has been legal and popular to bet on in the state since the 1960s.
The only option sports gamblers have to place wagers on games would be to use one of several offshore choices, which are illegal.
Which Online Sports Betting Sites Are Legal in Florida?
As you can imagine, there aren’t any”legal” online sports betting websites in Florida. But, several offshore choices exist for internet sports bettors, but nothing that would constitute as legal.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are insecure to use since they’re located in far-off countries rather than subject to authentic regulations or oversight. If something goes wrong with the company or your accounts, it is extremely hard to fix the circumstance.
Our advice is to await legal and fully regulated choices to arrive from the United States.
In the coming months, and after March of 2019 specifically, we highly recommend returning to this a webpage for an update as we intend to keep readers updated with things regarding the legalization of sports betting across America.
What Sports Could You Bet on Online at Florida?
As of now, there are no sports you can bet on legally online or off. However, if sports gambling does become legalized in the state of Florida, then it’ll bring with it a complete record of professional and amateuer sports to wager on.
Florida has a massive sports culture and lots of expert teams for residents to root for. Here are a few of the nation’s teams which will bring in a lot of gambling action.
Soccer Florida is home to three NFL franchises at the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars so Floridians will have lots of neighborhood NFL choices to bet on if it becomes legal.
The country also has a ton of NCAA teams with the largest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Additionally drawing relatively large crowds for faculty ball are the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls along with the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is huge in Florida and the state is represented by not one but two NBA teams: The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. When sports betting becomes legal in Florida that you can expect a lot of actions to centre around both of these franchises.
When it comes to NCAA basketball Florida’s biggest teams would be the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.
Baseball
Two Major League Baseball teams call Florida home: The Miami Marlins along with the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which have been set up in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training each year that might also be potential to bet on later on.
Hockey
If you hear ice hockey you might not think about Florida however, the game is relatively popular with two NHL franchises based in the country. The Tampa Bay Lighting along with also the Florida Panthers that play home games in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a town just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami.
Wagering On Different Sports
Once legalization takes effect, individuals in Florida is going to have the ability to wager on all manner of pro sports, not only teams based in the state. Gator and Seminole fans are also excited to know that college sports should be available to wager on too, giving residents an opportunity to bet on dozens of college sports games each weekend.
When the time does come that we see legalized sports gambling in the state of Florida, it would most likely start with property based sportsbooks within a brick and mortar casino. Land-based betting is usually followed by online sportsbooks offering the same betting options as live venues.
Can There Be No-Deposit Sports Betting in Florida?
Given that online sports gambling is still prohibited, the issue of no deposit betting is now moot. Nonetheless, in case that online sports gambling becomes lawful, citizens of Florida can anticipate a similar strategy to what other states are offering.
In countries like New York and Mississippi, bettors are often required to create a deposit upon enrollment in order to create real money bets. Nevertheless, no-deposit promotions are somewhat popular and should you find one, take it. Bear in mind, though, that any kind of promotion regarding no-deposit wagering usually comes with a few strings attached.
Depositing rules differ from each online sportsbook you decide to use, so make sure that you pay careful attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal restrictions and some other fine print that comes with the deal.
What’s the Future of Online Sports Betting at Florida?
The most instant key date will come in March, as that’s the next time that the Florida Legislature will fulfill. Until then, there is quite a bit of work that needs to be carried out in order to figure out the implications of legalized sports gambling on the present compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
However, with an increasing number of countries opting for legalization, it is probably a matter of when not if sports betting gambling will become legal in Florida. Though the Sunshine State might be moving at a slower pace compared to its neighbours, we predict it is only a matter of time before legislation has been passed on to push legalization forward.
There’s also belief that a important portion of Florida’s wait-and-see approach involves analyzing how other states have employed legalized sports betting and utilizing that information to ascertain the best route ahead.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers at Florida
Have patience.
Simply put, there’s far too much money up for grabs for Florida to dismiss legalized sports gambling forever, particularly as an increasing number of countries move in that direction. While there are specific complications facing Florida, nothing motivates politicians more than potential earnings.
Add to the fact that people in Florida enjoy sports and love to gamble and you have the recipe for a thriving sports gambling market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers all over the state. If you’re looking for updates on the situation, check back regularly as we will update this post as new info comes in.
We advocate circling March, 2019, on your calendars since it marks a meeting of the state legislature where talks on how Florida intends to move on this issue are on the agenda.

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