Is Online Sports Betting Legal in Florida?

Presently offline and online sports betting is not legal in the state of Florida, but won’t be the case for longterm. Florida is in a exceptional position when it comes to legalizing online sports betting. After the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), several states jumped headfirst to this multi-billion dollar industry and immediately legalized sports betting.
Florida, unfortunately, was not one of these.
There are many reasons this is true however, the biggest one has to do with the nation’s longtime streamlined with the Seminole Tribe, which we will tell you more about below. The uncertainty around the long-term future of this agreement has become the biggest variable in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see strategy to legalization.
Nonetheless, there are solutions for taxpayers of Florida while they await the nation’s legislators to act. Daily fantasy sports sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing sites like TwinSpires also function in the state.
The lack of urgency and motion on this issue is certainly frustrating for gamblers, however it might not stay this way forever.
The sport gambling landscape is shifting across the country and while it is taking some nation’s a long time (some longer than others), it is widely believed that it’s only a matter of time before Florida gets in on the action.
This page is the complete guide to what you want to learn about the past, current, and future of internet sports betting in Florida. We are going to clarify the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in much more detail and describe how it figures to how sports gambling regulation will take shape in Florida in years to come.
We’ll also keep this page update with important advancements that can help or harm Florida’s chances of presenting legal sports betting in the not too distant future.
To learn more on other nations, read our country by state guides to US sports betting laws.
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The Current Online Sports Betting Situation in Florida
When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 it opened up the door for each state to create their own decisions with respect to legalizing sports gambling in their jurisdiction. Each state can choose whether to perform it at all and if so, how the regulations will work.
Since every state has its own history and political/economic climate, we are very likely to see change occur at a different pace depending on which portion of the nation you’re discussing.
Sometimes the change to legal sports betting was in the works and also occurred immediately. In other areas the change seems inevitable and is only waiting for laws or other red tape to be dealt with. In different areas, legalization of sports gambling might not occur at all.
Florida falls somewhere in the middle of those groups. The state is receptive to betting in general but there is legal work that has to be done before full-scale sports gambling will be made accessible.
The current condition of legal online sports gambling in Florida is somewhat complex, to say the least.
Though Florida now has the authority to legalize sports gambling, there are a few things standing in the way. The biggest obstacle is that the pact that the state has with the Seminole Tribe.
Basically, the agreement gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on all casino games (blackjack, pai gow, casino gambling variants, etc). However, the agreement has become somewhat tenuous and the new possibility of legal sports betting has made the negotiations more complicated.
As it stands right now, nothing is currently happening about the legalization front and the first opportunity for anything to change will be March 2019, when the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida definitely doesn’t fall into the”Never going to happen” category in regards to legal sports betting but it’s not going to be leading the charge towards regulation. Like many states, though, Florida is going to have difficulty dismissing the potential revenue when they visit other nearby states begin to reap the benefits.
The History of Online Sports Betting in Florida
Florida is one of those states where sports gambling laws have not changed much over the last 50 decades or so.
Over the decades America has been through a range of reforms when it comes to the laws governing sports gambling. From the early 60s, in an effort to combat organized crime and mob related racketeering, the US government made inter-state sports betting illegal together with the Federal Wire act.
The problem with this course of actions, not unlike what happened with the prohibition of alcohol, is that it only drove the company and flow of cash farther underground.
Three years later, in 1992, the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was released in a bid to defend the integrity of American sports by making betting on games prohibited anywhere outside Nevada. Americans might not have been able to gamble on sports but it was not long then the net made it possible for offshore sportsbooks to offer their services to US gamers online.
Ever since then, the US has missed out on a massive revenue opportunity in the kind of regulated sports betting. There is clearly a massive market for it as Americans spend billions annually wagering online in Las Vegas and through unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of this writing, sports gambling has never been legal in Florida, interesting because the country has a comparatively large gaming civilization.
Racetracks and casinos have become common place across the state, yet neither offers legalized sports betting. The closest thing folks in Florida can gamble on is dog and horse-racing along with the game of jai alai that has been popular and legal to bet on in the state since the 1960s.
The only option sports gamblers need to place wagers on games is to utilize one of many offshore choices, which are illegal.
Which Online Sports Betting Sites Are Legal in Florida?
As you can imagine, there are no”legal” online sports gambling websites in Florida. However, several offshore options exist for internet sports bettors, but nothing which would constitute as valid.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are risky to use because they are located in far-off countries and not subject to real oversight or regulations. If something goes wrong with the company or your account, it is extremely difficult to resolve the situation.
Our advice would be to wait for legal and fully regulated choices to arrive in the United States.
In the forthcoming months, after March of 2019 specifically, we highly recommend returning to this a page for an upgrade as we plan to continue to keep readers updated with matters concerning the legalization of sports betting across America.
What Sports Could You Bet on Online in Florida?
As of now, there are not any sports you can bet on lawfully online or off. However, if sports gambling does become legalized in the state of Florida, it is going to bring with it a whole record of professional and amateuer sports to wager on.
Florida has a massive sports culture and lots of pro teams for residents to root for. Below are some of the state’s teams which will bring in a good deal of gambling action.
Soccer Florida is home to three NFL franchises at the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars which means Floridians will have lots of neighborhood NFL choices to bet on if it will become lawful.
The country also includes a slew of NCAA teams with the largest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Also drawing relatively massive crowds for faculty ball would be the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls and the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is huge in Florida and the country is represented by not one but two NBA teams: The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. When sports betting becomes legal in Florida you can expect a good deal of action to center around these two franchises.
When it comes to NCAA basketball Florida’s largest teams are the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.
Baseball
Two Major League Baseball teams call Florida home: The Miami Marlins along with the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which have been founded in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training annually which may also be potential to bet on later on.
Hockey
If you hear ice hockey you might not think of Florida but the game is relatively popular with just two NHL franchises based in the state. The Tampa Bay Lighting along with the Florida Panthers which play home games in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a town just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami.
Wagering on Other Sports
Once legalization occurs effect, people in Florida is going to have the ability to wager on all manner of pro sports, not only teams located in the nation. Gator and Seminole fans will also be excited to know that school sports should be available to bet on too, giving residents a chance to bet on dozens of college sports games each weekend.
When the time does come we view legalized sports betting in the state of Florida, it would probably start with land established sportsbooks within a physical casino. Land-based betting is generally accompanied by online sportsbooks that offer the same betting options as live venues.
Is There No-Deposit Sports Betting at Florida?
Given that online sports betting remains prohibited, the issue of no deposit gambling is now moot. However, in case that online sports betting becomes legal, residents of Florida can anticipate a similar approach to what other states are offering.
In countries like New York and Mississippi, bettors are usually required to create a deposit upon enrollment so as to make real money bets. Nevertheless, no-deposit promotions are very popular and should you find one, consider it. Always remember, though, that any type of promotion regarding no-deposit wagering generally includes a few strings attached.
Depositing rules differ from each online sportsbook you choose to use, so be sure that you pay close attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal restrictions and any additional fine print that comes with the deal.
What’s the Future of Online Sports Betting in Florida?
The most instant key date will come sometime in March, since that’s the next time that the Florida Legislature will meet. Until then, there’s quite a bit of work that should be done in order to figure out the consequences of legalized sports betting on the existing compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
However, with an increasing number of states opting for legalization, it is likely a matter of when not if sports betting gambling will become legal in Florida. While the Sunshine State may be moving at a slower rate compared to its neighbours, we predict it is simply a matter of time until legislation has been passed on to push legalization forward.
There’s also belief that a key part of Florida’s wait-and-see approach includes analyzing how other nations have implemented legalized sports betting and utilizing that information to ascertain the best path ahead.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers at Florida
Have patience.
Simply put, there’s far too much cash up for grabs for Florida to dismiss legalized sports gambling forever, especially as more and more states move in that way. While there are specific complications facing Florida, nothing motivates politicians more than potential earnings.
Add to that the fact that folks in Florida enjoy sports and already love to gamble and you have the recipe for a booming sports gambling market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers throughout the state. If you’re looking for updates about the circumstance, check back frequently as we’ll update this post as new information comes in.
We recommend circling March, 2019, in your calendars since it marks a meeting of the state legislature where talks on how Florida plans to proceed on this issue are on the schedule.

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