Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To DeSantis' Multibillion Agreement For Online Sports Betting In Florida
CNN -
The Supreme Court turned down an emergency quote Wednesday to block a multibillion-dollar arrangement in between Florida and the Seminole Tribe to use online sports betting throughout the state.
The court's order implies that sports wagering could soon be offered in Florida, although other pending legal difficulties in state courts could affect the exact timing.
T he arrangement, or "compact," was championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, approved by the US Department of the Interior and is slated to generate $2.5 billion in new revenue over the next five years and an estimated $6 billion through 2030.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh composed separately to say that he respected the court's action, but questioned whether the deal might raise different questions under state law. He made clear, however, that concerns under state law were not "squarely provided" in the current application brought by other betting companies.
The court's short order could set off other states and people to pursue similar deals.
Back in 2018, Florida citizens authorized a referendum that modified the Florida Constitution to ensure that any kind of gambling establishment gambling would only be allowed in the state through a different referendum - to take power to authorize such activity far from the state legislature.
But the 2018 referendum particularly sculpted out gambling and other video gaming negotiated through a compact in between people and the state - so long as the was approved by the federal government.
In 2021, the Seminole Tribe of Florida participated in an agreement with the state under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that permitted the tribe to use online sports wagering throughout the state as long as the servers getting the wagers were found on tribal ground.
The following month, DeSantis signed a law that approved the compact in between the 2 celebrations. The Department of Interior did not block the deal, which had the very same legal effect as if it officially approved it.
Other betting establishments, however, filed match, arguing that the compact was illegal under the IGRA since that law only enabled betting on tribal lands. They submitted fit against the Interior Department, arguing that the compact need to not have actually been authorized in the first place.
A district court agreed to obstruct the compact but was reversed by a federal appeals court based in Washington, DC. The appeals court said that the secretary of Interior hadn't violated her authority in permitting the contract.