The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a challenge to the agreement that gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to online sports betting in Florida.
The back-and-forth continued for some time, with the Supreme Court rejecting the petition filed by opponents of the agreement on Monday (June 17).
This all started following a petition filed by the owners of one of the state’s oldest pari-mutuel companies who requested a 2021 gaming agreement between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state government. Seminole tribe of Florida To be revoked.
The combined agreement allowed the tribe to control sports betting in Florida, with the tribe agreeing to pay the state at least $2.5 billion during the first five years of the deal.
In 2021, the tribe briefly launched an app intended to allow sports betting across the state, but it was shut down after pari-mutuel companies filed a federal lawsuit.
Then the tribe went ahead with it Online sports betting process It will be launched at the end of 2023 despite ongoing challenges.
Setbacks for opponents in Florida Built-in case for online sports betting
The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection is the latest setback for West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp.
Earlier this year, in March, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that companies filed the wrong type of petition challenging the charter. Just one month later, in April, West-Flagler & Associates filed a writ of certiorari.
Then the Ministry of Justice came back to say that the case had no place in court.
It was Daniel Wallach, a South Florida attorney and sports betting law expert Quoted as saying: “What is important about today’s announcement is that it removes the most significant barrier to online sports betting.”
Opponents of the charter believe it gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on sports betting and that the U.S. Department of the Interior wrongly approved the company even though it violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. They say this is because gambling is allowed on tribal lands.
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