Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To DeSantis' Multibillion Agreement For Online Sports Betting In Florida
CNN -
The Supreme Court rejected an emergency situation bid Wednesday to block a multibillion-dollar agreement in between Florida and the Seminole Tribe to use online sports betting throughout the state.
The court's order implies that sports betting could soon be available in Florida, although other pending legal obstacles in state courts might impact the specific timing.
T he arrangement, or "compact," was promoted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, authorized by the US Department of the Interior and is slated to bring in $2.5 billion in new profits over the next five years and an approximated $6 billion through 2030.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote separately to say that he appreciated the court's action, but questioned whether the offer might raise different questions under state law. He explained, however, that issues under state law were not "directly provided" in the present application brought by other betting companies.
The order could set off other states and people to pursue similar deals.
Back in 2018, Florida citizens authorized a referendum that changed the Florida Constitution to ensure that any kind of gambling establishment betting would only be allowed the state through a separate referendum - to take power to authorize such activity away from the state legislature.
But the 2018 referendum particularly took betting and other video gaming worked out through a compact in between people and the state - so long as the compact was approved by the federal government.
In 2021, the Seminole Tribe of Florida participated in an agreement with the state under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that allowed the tribe to offer online sports betting throughout the state as long as the servers receiving the wagers were found on tribal ground.
The following month, DeSantis signed a law that approved the compact in between the two parties. The Department of Interior did not obstruct the deal, which had the exact same legal result as if it formally authorized it.
Other wagering establishments, however, submitted suit, arguing that the compact was unlawful under the IGRA because that law only allowed banking on tribal lands. They filed fit versus the Interior Department, arguing that the compact need to not have actually been authorized in the very first place.
A district court accepted obstruct the compact but was reversed by a federal appeals court based in Washington, DC. The appeals court stated that the secretary of Interior had not exceeded her authority in permitting the contract.