Chris Boline
If people thought things for Florida sports betting were messy as it was, it looks like things are only going to be getting messier in the future. Remember when the state launched sports betting for a few weeks through the Hard Rock Cafe’s online app? That felt like years ago. Since then, things have been shut down and no one know what will be the next step in trying to push things forward. Well, we now know, that the Florida sports betting battle could head to the supreme court.
In a new report, Brandt Iden, the Head of Government Affairs US for Sporstsradar, said that a trip to the Supreme Court could be on the way for Florida sports betting. Things were originally shut down by the U.S. District Judge, who sided with the lawsuit claiming that the pact between The Seminole Tribe and the state of Florida was illegal. Since that decision came in, betting has been put on halt.
This has of course been a major bummer, as no one knows exactly when the sports betting would end up making its way home to the sunshine state. With the latest update from Iden, though, it could further delay any kind of a decision being made in the positive direction. If this case does go to the Supreme Court, then we may not see sports betting come to Florida until 2024. No one wants to see that.
As things stand, there’s outside hope that the betting in Florida could arrive at some point in 2023. In order for that to happen, though, we simply can’t see this case end up in the. Supreme Court. That would spell a complete and total disaster for Florida and the people who want to make legal sports bets. Right now, it’s a wait and see how things shape out, but there’s plenty of nervous folks out there.
"Florida sports betting will probably end up at the Supreme Court, and that could put us well into 2024 before you see any movement" | Yogonet International https://t.co/kWmjx6qgP0
— Sue Schneider (@SuziQSchneider) July 28, 2022
Why was Florida sports betting shut down in the first place?
With everything an absolute mess, everyone continues to wonder why was Florida sports betting shut down in the first place? Well, as we’ve written about before and above, this all came down to a lawsuit – one of multiple – that was filed against The Seminole Tribe and the state by the owners of casinos doing business in Florida. They claimed that the pact signed by the two parties was illegal.
A first lawsuit was thrown out the window, but then another one shut the betting down. The Hard Rock indeed saw plenty of bets come in for a few weeks, but then they had to shut down operations soon after. One of the bets made was by Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Calvin Ridley, as he put a parlay in on NFL betting action worth around $1,500. Well, that’s a big no-no and Ridley is paying the consequences, as NFL players are banned from betting on games.
As soon as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell found out about Ridley’s betting in Florida, he announced that the wideout would be suspended for the entire 2022 campaign. Obviously, this is a massive blow for the Falcons, as Ridley is their No. 1 wide receiver now that Julio Jones is long gone from the organization. With Ridley being dinged up for betting too, it only has opposers in Florida pushing to keep betting away.
This has been a monster blow for Florida sports betting, as that negative publicity on Ridley has really been terrible to see. Now, more and more people are speaking out against the sports betting. There’s little hope that things will be pushed forward in the next 12 months. At this point, it feels like a major let down and nothing will be changing soon enough. Sorry, sports fans, but that’s the way things are.
Florida’s pro teams are being hurt by no sports betting
It goes without saying, but Florida’s pro teams are being hurt by no sports betting right now. Elsewhere around the United States, and the world for that matter, you’re seeing professional teams join forces with different sports betting companies. This is creating a ton of revenue for the teams, and more betting opportunities for fans as well. With Florida, they’re missing out in the worst way possible.
Florida of course isn’t alone here, as the teams in California and Texas are waiting for sports betting to come too. Unlike Florida, both Texas and California are seeing things move in the right direction, as both are expected to have sports betting potentially by 2023. For California, things are feeling like a lock, as two different Cali initiatives will be presented on the November ballot for people to vote on.
People in Florida are incredibly jealous by this, as California is inching closer and closer to getting things done. On the other side of things for Florida, they are nowhere close and things are only going to keep getting pushed back if the Supreme Court gets involved. All in all, this is pretty dang rough for people all over Florida. It just sucks as a whole.
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— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 10, 2022
