Presently offline and online sports gambling isn’t legal in the state of Florida, but hopefully that won’t be the case for long. Florida is in a unique position when it comes to legalizing online sports betting. Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), many states jumped headfirst to this multi-billion dollar business and immediately legalized sports gambling.
Florida, sadly, wasn’t among them.
There are many reasons this is true however, the largest one has to do with the nation’s longtime compact 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 factor in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see approach to legalization.
Nonetheless, there are solutions for taxpayers of Florida while they await the state’s legislators to behave. Daily fantasy sports websites for example DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing sites like TwinSpires also function from the state.
The absence of urgency and motion on this matter is certainly frustrating for gamers, but it may not remain this way forever.
The sports gambling landscape is shifting across the nation and while it’s taking some nation’s a very long time (some longer than others), it is widely believed that it’s merely a matter of time before Florida gets in on the action.
This page is your complete guide to everything you need to know more about the past, present, and future of internet sports gambling in Florida. We are going to clarify the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in much more detail and explain how it figures to how sports betting law will take shape in Florida in years ahead.
We’ll also keep this page update with important advancements that can help or hurt Florida’s odds of presenting legal sports betting in the near future.
To learn more on other states, read our country by state guides to US sports betting laws.
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The Current Online Sports Betting Situation at Florida
When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 it opened the door for each state to create their own conclusions with respect to legalizing sports gambling in their jurisdiction. Each state can decide whether to do it at all and if so, how the regulations will operate.
Since each state has its own history and political/economic climate, we’re likely to see change happen at a different pace depending on which part of the country you are discussing.
Sometimes the switch to legal sports betting was already in the works and happened immediately. In other regions the change seems inevitable and is only waiting for legislation or other red tape to be dealt with. In different areas, legalization of sport gambling might not happen at all.
Florida falls somewhere in the midst of those groups. The state is receptive to gambling in general but there’s legal work that has to be performed before full-scale sports betting will be made available.
The current condition of legal online sports gambling in Florida is somewhat complicated, to say the least.
Even though Florida now has the ability to legalize sports gambling, there are a couple of things standing whatsoever. The largest barrier is that the pact that the country has with the Seminole Tribe.
Basically, the agreement gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on all casino games (blackjack, pai gow, casino poker variations, etc). On the other hand, the arrangement has gotten somewhat tenuous and the new possibility of sports gambling has made the negotiations more complex.
As it stands right now, nothing is currently happening on the legalization front and also the very first chance for anything to change will be March 2019, when the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida definitely doesn’t fall to the“Never going to happen“ category when it comes to legal sports gambling but it’s not going to be leading the charge towards regulation. Like many states, however, Florida will have a hard time dismissing the possible earnings when they visit other nearby states begin to reap the benefits.
The Annals of Online Sports Betting in Florida
Florida is one of those countries 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 as soon as 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 gambling illegal together with the Federal Wire act.
The issue with this plan of action, not unlike what occurred with the prohibition of alcohol, is that it simply drove the company and stream of cash further underground.
Three decades later, in 1992, the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was introduced in a bid to protect the integrity of American sport by making gambling on games illegal anywhere outside Nevada. Americans may not have been able to bet on sports domestically but it was not long after that the internet made it possible for offshore sportsbooks to provide their services to US gamers online.
Since then, the US has missed out on a huge revenue opportunity in the kind of controlled sports gambling. There is clearly a massive market for it as Americans spend billions each year wagering online in vegas and via unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of this writing, sports gambling hasn’t been legal in Florida, intriguing because the country has a comparatively large gaming culture.
Racetracks and casinos have become common place across the country, yet neither provides legalized sports betting. The closest thing people in Florida can gamble on is dog and horse-racing along with the sport of jai alai which has been popular and legal to bet on at the country since the 1960s.
The only real option sports gamblers have to place wagers on games is to use one of many offshore options, which are currently illegal.
Which Online Sports Betting Sites Are Legal in Florida?
As you can imagine, there aren’t any“legal“ online sports betting sites in Florida. But, several offshore choices exist for internet sports bettors, but nothing that would constitute as legal.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are insecure to use since they are based in far-off countries and not subject to authentic regulations or oversight. If something goes wrong with the organization or your accounts, it is extremely difficult to fix the circumstance.
Our advice would be to wait for legal and fully regulated choices to arrive from the United States.
In the coming months, and after March of 2019 specifically, we highly suggest returning for this page for an update as we intend to continue to keep readers updated on all things regarding the legalization of sports betting across America.
What Sports Could You Bet on Online in Florida?
As of now, there are no sports you can bet on legally online or off. But if sports gambling does become legalized in the state of Florida, then it’ll bring with it a complete slate of specialist and amateuer sports to bet on.
Florida has a massive sports culture and lots of expert teams for taxpayers to root for. Below are some of the nation’s teams which will attract a good deal of gambling action.
Football Florida is home to three NFL franchises at the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars which means Floridians will have plenty of neighborhood NFL choices to bet on if it becomes legal.
The state also includes a ton of NCAA teams with the biggest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Additionally drawing relatively large audiences for college ball would be the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls along with the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is enormous in Florida and the state is represented by not one but two NBA teams: The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. When sports betting becomes lawful in Florida that you can expect a good deal of action to center around these two franchises.
When it comes to NCAA basketball Florida’s biggest teams would be the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.
Baseball
Two Major League Baseball teams call Florida home: The Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which have been founded in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training each year which may also be possible to bet on in the future.
Hockey
When you listen to ice hockey you might not think about Florida but the sport is relatively popular with two NHL franchises located in the state. The Tampa Bay Lighting along with also the Florida Panthers which play home games at 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
After legalization occurs effect, people in Florida will be able to wager on all manner of pro sports, not only teams located in the nation. Gator and Seminole lovers are also excited to know that college sports should be accessible to bet on also, giving residents a chance to bet on dozens of college sports games each weekend.
When the time does come we see legalized sports gambling in the state of Florida, it’d probably start with land based sportsbooks within a brick and mortar casino. Land-based betting is generally followed by online sportsbooks that offer the same betting choices as live venues.
Is There No-Deposit Sports Betting at Florida?
Given that online sports gambling is still illegal, the matter of no deposit betting is now moot. However, in case that online sports gambling becomes lawful, residents of Florida can anticipate a similar approach to what other nations are offering.
In states like New York and Mississippi, bettors are often required to create a deposit upon registration so as to make real money bets. Nevertheless, no-deposit promotions are somewhat very popular and when you find one, take it. Bear in mind, though, that any kind of promotion regarding no-deposit wagering generally includes a few strings attached.
Depositing rules differ from each online sportsbook you choose to utilize, so be certain to pay close attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal limitations and any additional fine print that comes with the offer.
What Is the Future of Online Sports Betting at Florida?
The most instant key date will come in March, as that is the next time that the Florida Legislature will fulfill. Until then, there’s quite a lot of work that should be done as a way to find out the implications of legalized sports gambling on the existing compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
But with an increasing number of countries opting for legalization, it’s likely a matter of when not if sports betting betting is becoming legal in Florida. Though the Sunshine State might be moving at a slower pace than its neighbors, we predict it is simply a matter of time until legislation is passed on to push legalization forward.
There is also belief that a important portion of Florida’s wait-and-see approach includes analyzing how other states have employed legalized sports gambling and using that information to ascertain the best route ahead.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers at Florida
Have patience.
Simply put, there is far too much cash up for grabs for Florida to dismiss legalized sports betting forever, especially as more and more countries move in that direction. When there are unique complications confronting Florida, nothing motivates politicians more than potential revenue.
Add to that the fact that people in Florida enjoy sports and already love to gamble and you have the recipe for a thriving sports betting market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers throughout the state. If you’re on the lookout for updates about the circumstance, check back regularly as we will update this post as new information comes in.
We recommend circling March, 2019, on your calendars as it marks a meeting of the state legislature where discussions about how Florida plans to move on this matter are on the agenda.

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