Chris Boline
It’s been a year to forget for people in favor of Florida sports betting, there’s no denying that. For the people in the state, they saw things arrive for only a few weeks, only to have the betting shut down by a U.S. District Judge. People are not happy with the Florida governor about this. Matter of fact, the Florida sports betting mess could impact Ron DeSantis’ reelection for governor.
With the elections coming later this year, the expectation is that DeSantis will come out on top and keep things going as Florida governor. He’s also expected to run for president in 2024, which would be wild to see. What stands out here, though, is that people are furious with DeSantis over how things have shaped out with the Florida sports betting. Everything has been up in the air.
According to a report, there are in fact some people who have turned on DeSantis and aren’t planning to vote for him in the coming months due to the sports betting fiasco. There’s also several other things to consider here, including the way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless, the mess with the sports betting also has people quite frustrated right now and that’s not going to change.
Will it be enough for DeSantis to not come back as governor? That may seem unlikely, but you just never know what might happen in this case. What would help DeSantis, especially in the eyes of sports betting fans, is if he could find a solution for all the mess his deal with the Seminole Tribe. It was supposed to bring in millions and millions of dollars to help out the state. Instead, all that has been provided has been non-stop headaches.
Statement from office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on court ruling against sports betting in the state: pic.twitter.com/Nd5RZR4Gtp
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) November 23, 2021
Sports betting is currently delayed in Florida until maybe 2024
What makes things worse for people in the state is that sports betting is currently delayed in Florida until maybe 2024. With things being punted in the court of appeals until next year, this is only going to push things back longer than expected. With no decisions coming in the courts, it leaves everything up in the air as to what might happen down the line. People wanted betting this year, but no luck.
Then, people were hopeful that things would be fixed and rocking early next year. Now, that’s not going to happen either. With the expectations being that everyone is going to have to wait until 2024, it only adds for more anger from people and they’re directing that anger towards DeSantis. DeSantis hasn’t been too vocal about how things will be changed, which adds to the frustration.
For as big as Florida is, the fact that there’s no sports betting continues to infuriate people. People continue to travel to different states to place their wagers, which should never be the case. The way things are right now, and with so many big sports teams in the state, the fans in the area should have the right to bet on them. Think about how great things would be for them during the football season?
Right now, people are constantly checking the best rated sportsbooks and seeing what kind of NFL odds both the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have. Those are the two top NFL teams in the area, and they always bring in a huge amount of fans. With Tom Brady suiting up for Tampa Bay too, people want to bet on the Bucs this upcoming season, which could be Brady’s last. They can’t do that, however.
College football betting will also be missed in Florida
Another thing to remember here is that college football betting will also be missed in Florida for all the game’s supporters. Right now, Miami is drawing an incredible amount of attention after they hired Mario Cristobal to be the team’s new football coach. Miami has landed some elite level recruits, and thousands of students and alumni can’t wait to pack the stadium to watch them in action.
With this, however, people of course would have loved to check the NCAAF odds to see how things were going for the Hurricanes. With there being a totally different feel for the unit, of course highlighted by the hiring of Cristobal, the excitement for Miami really is through the roof. On top of that, the future feels like it’s also bright for the Florida State Seminoles. Don’t forget about the University of Florida either – the Gators are always a team to watch.
Between the NFL and college football, sports betting would have been massive starting in the summer and leading all the way into the heart of the winter. This is something DeSantis and plenty of others knew about when they tried to move forward with their sports betting pact. That was a dream come true, but now things have become a total nightmare. If DeSantis wants to win back some of the lost voters, he better come up with some ideas quickly.
Mario Cristobal is MY head coach.
This is not a dream. He actually is MY head coach. pic.twitter.com/AAEsoLNC81
— GO ‘CANES! (@83_87_89_91_01) July 22, 2022
