Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To DeSantis' Multibillion Agreement For Online Sports Betting In Florida
CNN -
The Supreme Court turned down an emergency bid Wednesday to block a multibillion-dollar agreement between Florida and the Seminole Tribe to offer online sports wagering throughout the state.
The court's order suggests that could soon be readily available in Florida, although other pending legal challenges in state courts might impact the exact timing.
T he agreement, or "compact," was promoted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, approved by the US Department of the Interior and is slated to generate $2.5 billion in new income over the next five years and an approximated $6 billion through 2030.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh composed individually to state that he respected the court's action, but questioned whether the deal could raise separate questions under state law. He made clear, nevertheless, that concerns under state law were not "directly presented" in the existing application brought by other betting business.
The court's short order could trigger other states and people to pursue similar deals.
Back in 2018, Florida voters approved a referendum that amended the Florida Constitution to ensure that any kind of gambling establishment gaming would only be allowed the state through a different referendum - to take power to approve such activity far from the state legislature.
But the 2018 referendum particularly took gambling and other video gaming negotiated through a compact between tribes and the state - so long as the compact was authorized 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 permitted the tribe to provide online sports betting throughout the state as long as the servers getting the wagers were found on tribal ground.
The following month, DeSantis signed a law that authorized the compact between the 2 celebrations. The Department of Interior did not obstruct the deal, which had the exact same legal result as if it formally approved it.
Other wagering establishments, nevertheless, submitted match, arguing that the compact was prohibited under the IGRA because that law only allowed banking on tribal lands. They filed suit against the Interior Department, arguing that the compact ought to not have actually been approved in the first location.
A district court concurred to obstruct the compact but was reversed by a federal appeals court based in Washington, DC. The appeals court said that the secretary of Interior hadn't violated her authority in allowing the agreement.