Chris Boline
Just when you think that some good news for Florida sports betting might be on the way for people to enjoy, the opposite turns out to be the case. Back in the fall, sports betting was officially launched for a brief period by the Hard Rock’s online app, but then things were quickly shut down because of a lawsuit. Not, it’s looking like Florida sports betting could be two years away, which no one saw coming.
According to gambling insiders Craig Mish and Dan Wallach, two guys who are extremely knowledgeable with the sports betting scene across the country, they’re now predicting that things may not arrive to Florida until 2024. This is terrible for everyone who has been hoping to see things go through. With that said, all of the delays with things in Florida has also been rough.
Originally, a pact between Florida and The Seminole Tribe was signed in the spring of 2021. It had opened the door for things to get going later in the year, with sports betting to reach a new level across the state by the start of 2022. Instead, the lawsuit arrived and put a halt on everything. This has cost Florida millions and millions of dollars and people are losing patience.
Appeals came in to try and save sports betting for this year, but nothing has gone right. Now, there’s been hope that things would be flipped by the time 2023 got here, with everything ready to come full circle. The battle for sports betting has gotten worse, though, and now we might have to wait an extra year for people to check the best sportsbooks out there and make legal bets in Florida.
There is only 1 reason why legal sports betting is not available in Florida (and won't be for at least 2 more years)–the Seminole Tribe's demand for exclusive control over the entire statewide activity. Without that, sports betting would have been up and running 2 years ago. https://t.co/aiuVkW7Ath
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) April 15, 2022
This latest Florida update is a major shame
We don’t have to tell you that this latest Florida update is a major shame. Time and time again it feels like people get their hopes up for sports betting getting legalized, only for disappointing news like this to arrive. What needs to happen is for the legislators to try and get on the same page as soon as possible to see if any new bills will be presented for other forms of gambling soon.
As it stands, it really does feel like this pact that was signed by Florida and The Seminole Tribe isn’t going to get fixed in the near future. This is awful for Ron DeSantis, as he and his team worked so hard for this 30-year deal. It was projected to bring billions of dollars worth of revenue for the state, which was going to be used to help tackle different growing issues all over Florida.
Instead, everything is up in the air and no one knows when sports betting will come to the state. Think of all the wasted opportunities as a whole too. During the NFL season, people were ready to bet on the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and more. Right now, the NBA playoffs are here and the Miami Heat look ready to go on an NBA Finals run. People want to check the NBA odds and bet money on it.
However, they can’t make legal bets in their home state to support Miami. Jimmy Butler is playing like one of the best standouts in the game. People would be lining up to make wagers on his performances too. That’s only going to happen if people head outside of Florida to a state where betting is legal, though. It’s unfortunate news, but that’s the only way things can go down at this current time it looks like.
#Kaboom! @JimmyButler went 4-of-7 from 3 in last night's 45-point masterpiece.@CoupNBA makes sense of his Game 2 from downtown and dives into those comparisons with @DwyaneWade
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 20, 2022
MLB season arriving is another blow for Florida bettors
On top of it all, MLB season arriving is another blow for Florida bettors not able to make their legal wagers. In the state, Tampa Bay and Miami are the two popular squads. However, people also loving checking out World Series odds for the other clubs as well. The Los Angeles Dodgers hold the No. 1 odds, but teams like the Blue Jays, Yankees and others are ready to make a splash throughout the year.
With the MLB campaign in full swing, Florida is losing an unreal amount of money in terms of people being able to make legal bets. As we’ve said time and time again on MyTopSportsbooks, illegal bets will keep being made, which is unacceptable on its own. People find ways all the time to exchange money without it being regulated. This has to stop as soon as possible.
The hope was that a legal sports betting system would help clean things up. Instead, people don’t have a clue what’s going to happen in that regard. For now, people will keep making illegal bets and officials in Florida will try and stop it. If you ask local experts, though, we may not see local sports betting until 2024 in the Sunshine State. This is terrible news for so many sports fans out there.
