Chris Boline
With everything for Florida sports betting in limbo, fans across the state continue to become more frustrated with the uncertainty. After missing out on Super Bowl betting options, people are now forced to sit on their hands for the NCAA Tournament. However, not everyone is staying patient after all, as illegal sports bets are flying in Florida for March Madness this month, which is terrible to see.
According to a local report, officials all over the state have seen a spike in illegal activity of late, particularly in the Miami area. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as people across the planet are constantly checking the March Madness odds and getting their wagers in. However, sports betting remains illegal in Florida, which is forcing hoops fans to place their bets either through bookies or off-shore accounts.
Illegal betting in the state is a problem year-round, but a spike in things is usually expected in March and April because of the NCAA Tournament. With things heating up and the Final Four being right around the corner, this is only going to lead to more illegal activity being recorded. While authorities have done a fantastic job of trying to limit this issue, there are still a lot of bets being placed in an unregulated fashion.
We’ve seen plenty of sports betting rings get shut down in Florida over the years, but the fact of the matter is that there are still plenty of them currently operating. This is why Governor Ron DeSantis and The Seminole Tribe are hoping that their 30-year pact for sports betting can get overturned in the appeals court. If that happens, then people will finally be able to place sports bets in peace. No one knows what will happen there, though.
The Biden administration and the Seminole Tribe of Florida on Wednesday urged a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling that blocked a deal that would give the tribe control over sports betting in the state. https://t.co/zhgEG8UTUH
— CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) December 15, 2022
No decision has arrived from the appeals court for Florida betting
With that said, no decision has arrived from the appeals court for Florida betting, which only adds to the anger of people in the state. Not long ago, opening statements were delivered in January, which had a lot of people optimistic that a decision would have arrived by now. However, there appears to be no rush from the court on making its final decision, as they want to make sure they get things right.
With the owners of the Magic City Casino staying locked in with their decision to block the pact agreed upon by the state and the tribe, it’s causing this major delay for sports betting to move forward. Plenty of experts and analysts believe that the decision will end up getting overturned in favor of Florida and The Seminole Tribe, but no one knows an exact date for when that will happen.
If things end up going in favor of the Magic City Casino, then it will set the legalization process back for Florida. The fear here is that if the appeals court denies Florida from being able to re-launch sports betting, then people in the state might have to wait until 2025 for a new bill to get approved at the senate level. This would not only be back-breaking for sports fans, but Florida would be missing out on a ton of potential revenue money.
As we mentioned above, people were not happy that they couldn’t check the NFL betting odds for the Super Bowl, as so many people wanted to be able to bet on the big game between the Chiefs and Eagles. Looking ahead to next year, people think the Miami Dolphins will have high Super Bowl betting odds thanks to some key additions this offseason on both sides of the ball. It’s up in the air if people in Florida will be able to make legal bets on them soon or not, though.
"I wanted to be a part of something great."
Our new guys sound off on why they wanted to join the 🐬 pic.twitter.com/ALWC5ekC0G
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) March 22, 2023
The Seminole Tribe knows what’s on the line with the decision
Obviously, The Seminole Tribe knows what’s on the line with the decision that’s yet to come from the appeals court. The tribe has invested a ton of money for this project, and they remain hopeful that good news will be on the way in the coming months. As we previously reported on MyTopSportsbooks, the tribe decided to move forward with the construction of a new resort in Florida.
This is big for multiple reasons. For one, it’s yet another huge tourist attraction for people. At the same time, it could also have room for a big sportsbook where fans would be able to not only catch some of the best action out there, but also place some bets. Don’t forget that The Seminole Tribe will be ready to move forward with online betting options as well, which will be needed.
There are quite literally billions of dollars on the line with the call from the appeals court. The Seminole Tribe and DeSantis will be ready to hit the ground running if they’re able to re-launch things. However, the team over at the Magic City Casino is all-in on preventing that from happening. Hopefully we find out soon what goes down.
