21 and older gamblers in Florida can rejoice in the glory of entering a Seminole Hard Rock Casino and betting on pro or college sports starting today. Florida sportsbooks will open at the following Hard Rock Casino locations.
Sportsbooks In Florida
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood
- Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood
- Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee
- Seminole Casino Coconut Creek
- Seminole Casino Brighton Okeechobee
The only restrictions placed on sports betting are odds for sub-collegiate games and matches, but gambling on the Olympics is permitted. A few states have prohibitions placed on betting on teams attached to local colleges and universities in a perceived effort to curb cheating, but FL didn’t include that in any laws or compact language.
Placing a bet at a retail sportsbook is certainly better than no sports betting at all, but it is hardly convenient. The debut of brick-and-mortar sports betting in FL is being largely overshadowed by the four-week-plus presence of online sports betting sites and mobile sportsbook apps.
Last month, the Hard Rock Bet sportsbook app made a return to active status after being dormant since December 2021. The gambling application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, or directly from the Hard Rock Bet website.
The FL sportsbook app was made available to players who had signed up during the brief time that they were available in late 2021. Anyone who had placed a bet in 2021 was able to begin wagering immediately.
Prior sign-ups who never placed a bet could download the app but were not cleared to begin wagering until around Thanksgiving.
Is the debut of brick-and-mortar sports betting in the Sunshine State a big deal? Not really, but there are some gamblers who prefer placing a bet with a live bookie and waiting around for their payout.
The Seminoles have announced plans for additional sportsbook locations but have not been specific regarding locations. The northern panhandle portion of the state could use some help, as there are no sportsbooks currently between Jacksonville and Pensacola.
Along with in-person sportsbooks, the Hard Rock Casinos are also debuting craps and roulette. These are two games of chance that were not permitted prior to the revised gaming compact between the Seminoles and Florida signed in 2021.
This elevates the Hard Rock Casinos in FL from Class III to Class II operations. The addition of sports betting, roulette, and craps is expected to add 1,000 or more jobs.
While you must be 21 or over to enter and play real money games or place a bet on sports domestically in Florida, the 18-to-20 gambling market can still be serviced by the offshore betting industry.
