Feds Are Siding With Florida Sports Betting On the Court’s Decision

Peter Lewisby Peter Lewis
Updated: September 7, 2023
Feds Are Siding With Florida Sports Betting Over the Court's Decision

Unfortunately for everyone who thought things were over and done with, there’s still plenty of drama when it comes to the Florida sports betting battle. In case you missed it, the U.S. Appeals Court ruled in favor of the state and said that the historic pact between Governor Ron DeSantis and The Seminole Tribe didn’t break any laws. However, the owners of the Magic City Casino are still fighting back. With that said, the Feds are siding with Florida sports betting on the court’s decision.

The Magic City Casino owners have been pushing for a rehearing and there’s speculation that things could even be delayed in Florida for a few months, which no one wants to see happen, especially with the start of the NFL regular season arriving on Thursday night. However, the U.S. Department of the Interior has said that a rehearing is not needed and that Florida should be allowed to move things forward. It’s now up in the air what the next steps will be.

“As West Flagler acknowledges, the panel held in no uncertain terms that the Compact does not do that,” the DOI’s statement on the battle read. “And the panel did so while making scrupulously clear that neither its opinion nor the Secretary’s approval prevents West Flagler from challenging the relevant State law in Florida’s courts. Rehearing is unwarranted.”

This feels like a major win for DeSantis and Co., as the U.S. Government thinks that Florida should be able to get things rocking in the near future. However, the Magic City Casino owners remain strong in their hopes to not only prevent things from getting launched for a second time, but they want this entire project to be shut down too. We could find out in the next weeks what the final decision will be, but this latest update has provided sports fans with optimism.

Florida is pushing for legal sports betting as soon as possible

With the way things have played out, Florida is pushing for legal sports betting as soon as possible. There’s still a chance that we could see a rehearing from the U.S. Appeals Court’s decision, but the hope here is that everything will be finalized and the case will be shut sooner than later. The lawmakers in Florida are ready to hit the ground running with the re-launch of legal sportsbooks apps.

In October of 2021, the Hard Rock Cafe launched an online sportsbook for Florida citizens to take advantage of. Things were great and people were loving legal sports betting, but that didn’t last long, as a U.S. District Judge ordered everything to be shut down. Now, though, we could see multiple sportsbooks launched at some point this fall – it all depends on when everything will be processed in the courts.

Come Thursday night, countless people in Florida will be checking the NFL betting odds for the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. This is the first game of the campaign and people are going to be jacked up to see how things go down. Unfortunately for Floridians, they won’t be able to make their legal bets just yet. There was a decent chance that bets would arrive in time for Week 1, but the possible rehearing has prevented that.

With that said, there’s still a strong chance we could see legal NFL betting for fans before the regular season comes to a close. Florida is going to do everything possible to get the wheels in motion by the time the postseason gets here. We don’t have to tell you how huge Super Bowl betting is. People in Florida are going to want to take part in that. From our chair, there’s a strong chance of that being the case this winter.

Florida NFL teams enter the new season with huge expectations

A major reason why there’s so much sports betting attraction right now is because Florida NFL teams enter the new season with huge expectations. The Jacksonville Jaguars nearly stunned the Chiefs in the Divisional Round last season. This time around, third-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence is ready to take another giant step in his career and fans are excited about what he’ll be able to do in ’23.

With the Miami Dolphins, they hold strong Super Bowl odds and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them head to Las Vegas this February. It’s going to come down to whether Tua Tuavailoga can stay healthy for his squad. He’s got a loaded offense around him, highlighted by superstar wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Both of these teams are considered major players in the AFC and we could end up seeing them face off in the postseason too. If that proves to be the case, then loads of people will be ready to drop huge wagers on that showdown. Again, it’s up in the air if sports betting will be legal by then, but things feel like they’re trending in the right direction thanks to the support being given by the U.S. Government.

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.

US States Related Resources