Chris Boline
• Appeals Court hearing for Florida sports betting
• Wednesday, December 14th
• U.S. District Court, Washington D.C.
It feels like some positive movements could be coming for Florida sports betting, which is something thousands of people have been waiting for. This really feels long overdue, but here we are. In some exciting news, it was announced recently that the Appeals Court Will Hear the Florida Sports Betting Case in December. Yes, finally. This indeed is a massive step for the state in its chase for legalization.
One thing to remember here, though, is that this doesn’t mean that everything is going to be settled right then and there. This is still a long process and no decision will be made next month. This is merely the opening arguments getting started on Dec. 14, which is still a big step forward. With that, however, it also means that both sides of things are going to be working overtime to make sure they’re prepared.
With the opposition, they have made it clear from the start that they believe The Seminole Tribe and Governor Ron DeSantis broke multiple laws with their 30-year agreement. This agreement, worth billions of dollars for the future, gained national attention when it was agreed upon. Despite that, not everyone was on board with it, which is why the owners of the Magic City Casino moved forward with legal action.
On the flip side of things, DeSantis and The Seminole Tribe are getting ready to put together quite the case to see if things can get re-launched in Florida. This is something that people have been calling for and they’re going to keep calling for it until things are finalized. These opening arguments are going to receive national attention, as a domino effect could take place. That’s what people are eyeing. Will that end up happening, though?
The 3-judge panel has been announced for the Dec. 14th oral argument in West Flagler Assocs. v. Haaland (aka the Florida sports betting compact appeal):
Karen LeCraft Henderson
(1990 – Bush)Robert L. Wilkins
(2014 – Obama)J. Michelle Childs
(2022 – Biden)#DCCircuit pic.twitter.com/yoEyigg2kc— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) November 14, 2022
Timing of the Appeals Court hearing is fantastic for DeSantis
It goes without saying, but the timing of the Appeals Court hearing is fantastic for DeSantis, as the big news just came in recently that he had received his official re-election as Governor of Florida. Now, he’ll be in office for quite some time and the rumors are already swirling that he’ll be in line to try and run for president come 2024. Before that happens, he wants to make sure he leaves Florida in its best possible situation before his second term ends.
With that, sports betting for Florida is 100 percent something he wants to see get done. The fact that this is still even being discussed is a nightmare, but things could end sooner than later. However, delays could be on the way too. No one knows how this is all going to end – yet, more promise has arrived for folks with the courts getting ready to hear these opening statements from both sides. He has put his trust in The Seminole Tribe and they know they have what it takes to have things flipped.
“The only reason West Flagler (Associates) brought the suit against (the) Interior is because it could not sue the tribe or state directly,” The Seminole Tribe said as part of their statements leading up to things. “Instead, it sought to collaterally attack their agreement negotiated under IGRA by seeking review of Interior’s deemed approval in their absence. Preventing this collateral attack is where fairness concerns should focus.”
The Seminole Tribe, along with DeSantis, feel like they’ve followed all of the guidelines from the start and that they’ve presented a plan of action that everyone can be happy with. The Magic City Casino team is trying to protect its interests, as they know legal sports betting run by the tribes will hurt their business and cost them millions. That’s why they’re going all-in to prevent it. We’ll see how long they can hold things off.
Will Florida sports betting come in 2023?
With these latest developments, people continue to wonder will Florida sports betting come in 2023? There’s an outside chance of that happening, with a lot of experts guessing that the betting won’t be given the green light until 2024 or even 2025. As we’ve stated before, this is a bummer, especially this time of the year. This is when people would be checking the NFL betting odds with the season in the heart of things and players putting on a show.
Later in the winter, Super Bowl betting will be incredibly popular, with teams like the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Bucs and others having strong odds. Floridians are dreaming of the day that they can make their bets inside of state lines and not have to travel elsewhere. That’s currently what they have to do and no one enjoys this process.
Who knows, though. These opening arguments could go better than anyone imagines and Florida/DeSantis could get some good news. On the other side of things, maybe this case is delayed and it ultimately reaches the Supreme Court. Everything feels like it’s in play right now. We should find out soon enough exactly what the timeline will be, but there’s reason to feel hopeful – that’s for sure.
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— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 15, 2022
