Floirda Sports Betting is Off to a Hot Start Thanks to the Re-Launch

Peter Lewisby Peter Lewis
Updated: January 2, 2024
Floirda Sports Betting is Off to a Hot Start Thanks to the Re-Launch

It has been less than a month since legal Florida sports betting was brought back for people to enjoy and goodness, things have been incredible. From the launch in December, people have been racing to get their bets both online and in person. With the NFL season nearing the playoffs and the College Football Playoff here too, it makes a ton of sense. With that said, Florida sports betting is off to a hot start thanks to the re-launch.

While the official numbers are yet to be released, local officials have expressed how happy they are with the early returns. This is something that has been in the works for about two years now. Originally sports betting took center stage in the fall of 2021, but things were shut down by a U.S. District Judge due to a lawsuit filed by the owners of the Magic City Casino. Since then, nothing but drama has followed the case.

However, the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of The Seminole Tribe and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which was a massive victory for the state. With things back up and running, there’s incredible buzz around the area, which is also leading to fantastic tourism numbers. People are flocking to Florida to take advantage of the great weather and now place their sports bets on top teams.

With the NFL, the Miami Dolphins hold strong NFL betting odds to win the AFC East, but there’s a toss-up between them and the Buffalo Bills. There’s a lot of pressure on the Dolphins to get the job done and enter the postseason with a ton of confidence. However, we’ll find out this weekend if they’re able to come away with the title or not. Regardless of how things go down, people will be betting big on their upcoming game, no question about that.

People in Florida are ready to bet big on the NCAA National Championship Game

While there’s a lot of focus on the NFL, people in Florida are ready to bet big on the NCAA National Championship Game coming next week. On Monday night, the CFP semifinals took place, with Alabama taking on Michigan and Washington facing Texas. On one side of things, Michigan was able to take down Alabama in dramatic fashion, booking their ticket to the natty for the first time under Jim Harbaugh.

Meanwhile in the Sugar Bowl, Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies were able to stun the Longhorns in dramatic fashion. Penix threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns, raising his NFL Draft stock. Leading up to the final, Michigan holds the top NCAAF betting odds to win it all, but the Huskies and Penix are ready to try and post one more upset. This would be the second national title for UW if they can somehow beat the Wolverines.

“I don’t know if you can transfer the Heisman Trophy or how that works, but man, he’s the best to do it in the nation, and I’ve known that for a long time,” star WR Rome Odunze said about Penix. “Unfortunately, I feel like the media and everybody on the outside hasn’t paid close enough attention. He’s special and he’s fought through adversity, and here he is shining on the biggest stage.”

With the Huskies playing with so much confidence, there really is a great chance they can capture the glory. There are going to be a ton of eyes on Penix to look like one of the best QBs in the game and something tells us that he’ll live up to the hype. People across the world will be watching, including folks in Florida. You better believe some head-turning numbers will be posted from a betting standpoint.

Online betting in Florida is powering the early strength

With the way things have looked so far, it’s easy to understand that online betting in Florida is powering the early strength for the numbers. When it was first announced that sports betting would be coming back in December, at first it was expected that only in-person betting would be in the docket. This caused a lot of fightback, as people were angry that no mobile options would be present.

However, shortly before things made their return, it was revealed that online options would be available from the start. This was fantastic news and the stats thus far are promising. With 2024 officially here as well, it’s looking like it could be an incredible year from start to finish for Florida sports betting.

The NFL postseason will be great from a betting standpoint and then once MLB betting arrives too, things are only going to go up. All in all, this is an exciting time for Florida sports betting and the future is looking quite bright. Things are only going to get better in the coming months and the revenue for betting is something that lawmakers are going to be smiling about. We’re excited to see how things go for the first quarter of the year too.

Peter Lewis

Peter Lewis Jr. comes from Mississippi where he and his family spend their days discussing college football, baseball and basketball. He's written sports journalism for years after studying journalism at a local university. Over time, Peter has cultivated extensive knowledge covering sports betting legislation across the country. He closely tracks the latest regulatory developments and provides key insights into their impacts. Peter also offers sharp MLB betting analysis, leveraging stats and trends to identify value on matchups.

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