Florida Officials Are Still Waiting Patiently for the Sports Betting Ruling

Peter LewisPeter Lewis | March 10, 2023
Florida Officials Are Still Waiting Patiently for the Sports Betting Ruling

What in the world is going to be the result for the Florida sports betting case? This is something that fans and lawmakers are keeping a close eye on, as the Appeals Court in the United States is taking their sweet time to make a decision. The longer we wait for an answer, the more anxious people get. They’re not the only ones, as Florida officials are still waiting patiently for the sports betting ruling to arrive.

This case has been in the court’s hands for a while now, as the Seminole Tribe and Florida and Governor Ron DeSantis are hopeful that the original decision by the U.S. District Judge to shut down legal sports betting in Florida will be reversed. However, the owners of the Magic City Casino remain set on blocking any kind of a move from happening that favors both the tribes and DeSantis.

According to the Magic City Casino team, the pact signed by DeSantis with the Seminole Tribe was illegal. However, more and more legal experts and analysts are stating that no laws were broken, which is why there’s plenty of optimism that the appeals court will indeed record a 180 here from the original decision. The only issue for so many people out there is that the final decision feels like it’s taking ages.

Obviously, this is a case that everyone wants to be taken seriously, and the courts are going to do their due-diligence to make sure the right decision is made. There’s billions and billions of dollars at stake here. And if the appeals court rules against the state and the Seminole Tribe, then people in Florida may have to wait until either 2024 or 2025 for legal sports bets to be allowed. No one wants to see that.

Florida sports betting needs to be finalized as soon as possible

With everything previously stated, there’s no doubt that Florida sports betting needs to be finalized as soon as possible. The frustration for people in the state has never been higher, especially after they got a taste of things in 2021. Back then, Florida sports betting was launched for a few weeks via betting options through the Hard Rock Cafe. A huge spike was showcased, which was great to see.

Tons of bets were placed, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t some drama. Superstar wide receiver Calvin Ridley placed some bets on the NFL games, which is a big no-no for him. He was suspended for a year, which also was a bad look for the Florida sports betting project as a whole. However, Ridley has since apologized and all seems to be forgotten. However, it showcased how popular the Hard Rock could be.

This is something that DeSantis and others are keeping in mind, as they’re pushing for things to get over the line. However, we won’t know what happens until the appeals court provides people with some sort of an update. It’s been a while since that has happened, but something good (or bad) could be coming by the end of the month. Regardless of that, DeSantis and the tribes will keep monitoring the situation.

It goes without saying, but lawmakers and officials are eyeing this each day, probably each could. From a revenue standpoint, this is going to be massive for Florida regardless of if they win or lose their appeal. With a win, the numbers are expected to be through the roof, which will be massive for local businesses as well. If the court’s decision results in a low, then it’ll be back to ground zero for the Florida sports betting efforts.

Tons of money was lost with no Super Bowl options for fans

One of the major key takeaways from the last month with all of the talks is that tons of money was lost with no Super Bowl options for fans. Florida is one of the biggest states in the USA, and the betting market will surely be huge once legal betting is allowed. However, this past season saw another Super Bowl come and go with no options (legally) for people to take advantage of.

Can you imagine if people in Florida would have been able to check the NFL betting odds for the monster showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs? The Super Bowl betting numbers surely would have been great across the board, but the only people in Florida who made wagers on the matchup did so in illegal fashion. You can already guess that bookies were working overtime to record illegal activity.

This is something that officials in Florida want to see reduced as soon as possible. What could fix that problem? Legal sports betting for the Sunshine State. Just like California, there have been some major roadblocks for the Florida sports betting dreams, but something could end up happening in the near future. Only time will tell if a celebration will be coming soon or not. Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed in this case.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university.