Legal sports betting in Florida is becoming more contentious by the day. In only a few weeks since the Seminole gaming compact was signed, rumblings of even further sports betting expansion in FL have made their way through the state.
DraftKings and FanDuel have teamed up with Florida politicians and effectively proposed a constitutional amendment to override the compact.
What is in the Compact?
The Florida Tribal Gaming Compact, signed by Ron DeSantis at the beginning of June, authorized sports betting exclusively at tribal casinos. The agreement did not include provisions regarding internet and mobile gaming.
The new compact was designed as a consequence of the state having broken a previous deal with the Seminole Tribe, costing Florida more than $350 million in withheld annual funds. The compact is meant to last for the next thirty years.
Why Need a Constitutional Amendment?
Because the state did not include online gaming as a part of the deal, DraftKings and FanDuel viewed this as an opportunity to expand into Florida gaming territory. In this way, commercial sportsbooks would have an “in” to the industry without having to worry about issues of tribal exclusivity.
These two domestic sportsbooks have worked diligently with the Florida Education Champions to garner the signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot. However, there is no indication that they will succeed as they have in other legal sports betting states.
They are taking a similar approach to that of legalizing the Florida Lottery. By putting the appropriation of funds to the FL Department of Education at the front of the issue, the group convinced residents that commercial online sports betting would help students.
Whether or not this is actually the case, the concern over this ballot proposal lies elsewhere.
Will the Measure Take Off?
As aforementioned, the Seminole only recently signed the thirty-year compact. Over the course of several revisions and almost two years of withheld taxes, the grueling work of diplomacy finally came to an end. It would be surprising to see the FL legislature throw out that hard work.
Even if residents were to vote in favor of the commercial sports betting bill, it wouldn’t necessarily become law. Ultimately, it would just give the government the authority to implement commercial event wagering. And there is a multitude of conflicts that would prevent them from doing so.
The state of Florida has an extremely complicated relationship with the Seminole Tribe, as they maintain firm autonomy over their image and industry. They are unafraid to engage in reactionary politics, putting the Florida legislature in a position to compromise at all costs.
Representatives of the Seminole Tribe have already been vocal with their distaste for the matter.
While the direction of sports betting in Florida is still unclear, there’s one thing that’s sure: If the Spanish, French, and British militaries couldn’t overtake Seminole authority, there’s no way DraftKings or FanDuel will either.
