Chris Boline
The news that no one in favor of Florida sports betting wanted to hear has come in. That’s because it was just announced this week that Florida sports betting is officially pushed back until at least 2023. While there was some hope that maybe, just maybe the decision by the U.S. Federal Judge would be overturned, that’s not going to happen and people are going to have to wait until next year at the earliest for something to happen.
Obviously, this is a major bummer. According to a report, it was announced that the appeal process will take its next step in mid August, but that the other arguments for the case won’t be heard until late in the fall. With things being pushed back and not taken with urgency, this means that all hope for Florida sports betting in 2022 won’t be able to go down. The big worry here too is that people are concerned that things will have to wait until 2024 too.
This would be the worst-case scenario, as everyone in the state got a taste of how life with betting would be in the fall. With the Hard Rock doing its soft launch of online betting, people were loving every minute of checking the different numbers, including of course the NFL odds. Everyone saw a big push for the sports betting leading up to that, with things really getting exciting for the short amount of time.
The courts shut things down, though, thanks to the decision from the U.S. Judge to side with the group which put together the lawsuit. Now, the terrible news of things being delayed has only added to the frustration for people all over Florida. With NFL training camps getting started soon, people will be checking the Super Bowl odds left and right. However, you won’t be able to bet on things for now. Heck, things might not even get done next year.
Florida's long-stalled Seminole Hard Rock online sportsbook legal challenge is not close to a resolution, Florida politician and lawyer Steve Geller said during a gaming industry conference Friday; there are no legal sports betting options in the state currently
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) July 8, 2022
Losing out on football betting is another blow for Florida
It really should be noted that losing out on football betting is another blow for Florida. With it being reported that the arguments for this appeal won’t take place until the late fall, this means that the majority of the NCAAF and NFL seasons would have passed by the time this all goes down. You’ve got to be kidding, right? Unfortunately, things have reached this point and it doesn’t; look like anything is going to change.
There’s little hope that things could get done by the time the NFL odds for the postseason roll around. For the Super Bowl in February too, it’s looking less and less likely that people will be able to check out the odds and put money down legally in the state. There’s of course going to be plenty of illegal bets, which is unfortunate to even think about. However, with Florida not legalizing its betting, this is going to happen time and time again. From our chair, this really is a shame all around.
Right now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best local team and they’re understandably going to have high odds from start to finish this season through the top rated sportsbooks. With Tom Brady coming out of his short retirement, the wheels are going to be in motion for the Bucs to push for another title. Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and others will be ready to make the fanbase happy from start to finish. This team has what it takes to make a ton of noise, which is exciting.
There’s going to be millions of dollars in terms of revenue that’s going to be lost for Florida. All of this money could have gone towards needed resources for the state. Now, though, the hope is that early on in 2023 something can get done. People will have their fingers crossed until then, but the optimism isn’t overly high. This could change soon, but we highly doubt it.
Tom Brady is more likely to take his team to the Championship game (70%) than any QB is to complete a pass.
Also, Brady's career win % in the playoffs: 74.5%
He's the best QB in NFL history, twice. pic.twitter.com/RFNlnOkNGV
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 7, 2022
Where can people in Florida make their bets?
The question people ask themselves is where can people in Florida make their bets? Again, they can’t do so legally inside of the state, but people have always traveled to nearby areas to make their wagers. Unfortunately, the two closest states of Alabama and Georgia are in the same boat, as they haven’t legalized betting either. Things are up in the air for those two states as well, which is concerning for so many people.
Mississippi is one of the few states in the south region that has moved ahead with betting, still, that’s not very close for people in Florida. People in the state often travel elsewhere for vacations anywhere, but the fact of the matter is that it’s not easy for people in the state to make bets. The only way this is going to change is if something gets done by the governor and the lawmakers. The wait is going to keep on going, with 2023 being the earliest. This is bad news, but nothing will change.
