Presently offline and online sports gambling isn’t legal in the state of Florida, but hopefully that won’t be the case for longterm. Florida is in a exceptional position when it comes to legalizing online sports betting. Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), several states jumped headfirst to this multi-billion dollar industry and instantly legalized sports betting.
Florida, unfortunately, wasn’t one of them.
There are many reasons that is the case however, the biggest one has to do with the state’s longtime streamlined with the Seminole Tribe, which we will tell you more about below. The uncertainty around the long term future of the agreement has become the biggest variable in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see approach to legalization.
Nonetheless, there are alternatives for taxpayers of Florida while they await the nation’s legislators to act. Daily fantasy sports websites such as DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing websites like TwinSpires also operate from the state.
The absence of urgency and motion on this matter is surely frustrating for gamers, but it might not stay this way indefinitely.
The sports betting landscape is shifting across the country and while it is taking some state’s a long time (some longer than others), it’s widely believed that it is only a matter of time before Florida gets in on the action.
This page is the complete guide to what you need to know more about the past, current, and future of internet sports betting in Florida. We are going to explain the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in more detail and describe how it figures into how sports gambling law will take shape in Florida in years ahead.
We’ll also keep this page update with important developments that can help or hurt Florida’s odds of introducing legal sports gambling in the not too distant future.
For more information 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 make their own decisions with regards to legalizing sports gambling in their jurisdiction. Each state can choose whether to do it at all and if so, how the regulations will work.
Since each state has its own history and political/economic climate, we are likely to see change occur at a different rate depending on which portion of the nation you are discussing.
Sometimes the change to legal sports gambling was in the works and also occurred immediately. In other regions the switch seems inevitable and is only waiting for legislation or other red tape to be taken care of. In other areas, legalization of sports betting might not occur at all.
Florida falls somewhere in the midst of these classes. The country is receptive to betting in general but there is legal work that has to be done before full-scale sports gambling will be made accessible.
The current state of legal online sports gambling in Florida is somewhat complex, to say the least.
Even though Florida now has the authority to legalize sports gambling, there are a few things standing whatsoever. The biggest barrier is the pact that the country has with the Seminole Tribe.
Essentially, 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 even more complicated.
As it stands right now, nothing is currently happening on the legalization front and the very first opportunity for anything to change will be March 2019, when the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida definitely doesn’t fall into the”Never going to happen” class in regards to legal sports gambling but it’s not likely to be leading the charge towards law. Like many nations, though, Florida will have difficulty dismissing the possible revenue when they see other neighboring states start to reap the rewards.
The History of Online Sports Betting at Florida
Florida is one of the states where sports betting laws have not changed much over the past 50 years or so.
Over the decades America has been through a range of reforms as soon as it comes to the laws governing sports betting. In the early 60s, in an effort to fight organized crime and mob related racketeering, the US authorities made inter-state sports gambling illegal with the Federal Wire act.
The issue with that course of action, not unlike what happened with the prohibition of alcohol, is that it simply drove the business and stream of cash farther underground.
Three years later, in 1992, the skilled and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was released in an effort to protect the integrity of American sports by making betting on games illegal anywhere outside Nevada. Americans might not have been in a position to gamble on sports domestically but it was not long then the net made it possible for offshore sportsbooks to offer their services to US players online.
Since then, the US has missed out on a massive revenue opportunity in the kind of controlled sports betting. There is clearly a huge market for it as Americans spend billions each year wagering online in vegas and through unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of the writing, sports betting has never been legal in Florida, intriguing because the state has a comparatively large gambling civilization.
Racetracks and casinos have become common place throughout the state, yet neither offers legalized sports gambling. The closest thing people in Florida can bet on is puppy and horse-racing and the game of jai alai which has been popular and legal to bet on in the state since the 1960s.
The only 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 gamblers, but nothing which would constitute as legal.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are insecure to use because they’re based in far-off nations rather than subject to authentic regulations or oversight. If something goes wrong with the company or your account, it is extremely hard to fix the situation.
Our advice would be to wait for legal and fully controlled options to arrive from the USA.
In the coming months, after March of 2019 specifically, we highly suggest returning for this page for an update as we plan to keep readers updated with matters concerning the legalization of sports betting across America.
What Sports Could You Bet on Online at Florida?
As of now, there are no sports you can bet on lawfully online or away. But if sports gambling does become legalized in the state of Florida, then it is going to bring with it a whole slate of professional and amateuer sports to wager on.
Florida has a massive sports culture and lots of expert teams for residents to root for. Here are some of the nation’s teams which will bring in a good deal of gambling action.
Soccer Florida is home to three NFL franchises in the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars so Floridians will have plenty of local NFL choices to bet on if it becomes legal.
The country also has a slew of NCAA teams with the largest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Additionally drawing relatively massive crowds for college ball are the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls along with the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is huge 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 are 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 were founded in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training each year that might also be potential to bet on in the future.
Hockey
When you hear ice hockey you may not think of Florida but the game is relatively popular with two NHL franchises located in the state. The Tampa Bay Lighting and also the Florida Panthers which play home games in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a city just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami.
Wagering On Different Sports
After legalization takes effect, people in Florida will have the ability to to wager on all manner of pro sports, not only teams based in the nation. Gator and Seminole lovers will also be eager to know that college sports should be accessible to wager on also, giving residents a chance to bet on dozens of college sports matches every weekend.
When the time does come that we see legalized sports betting in the state of Florida, it would probably start with land based sportsbooks within a physical casino. Land-based betting is usually accompanied by online sportsbooks offering the exact same betting choices as live places.
Can There Be No-Deposit Sports Betting at Florida?
Given that online sports gambling remains illegal, the matter of no deposit betting is currently moot. However, in case that online sports betting becomes lawful, citizens of Florida can anticipate a similar approach to what other states are offering.
In countries like New York and Mississippi, bettors are often required to make a deposit upon registration so as to make real money stakes. Nevertheless, no-deposit promotions are very popular and when you find one, consider it. Bear in mind, however, that any kind of advertising regarding no-deposit wagering usually comes with a few strings attached.
Depositing rules vary from each online sportsbook you decide to utilize, so be sure to pay careful attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal restrictions and some other fine print that comes with the offer.
What’s the Future of Online Sports Betting in Florida?
The most immediate key date will probably come sometime in March, since that’s the next time the Florida Legislature will fulfill. Until then, there’s quite a bit of work that should be done as a way to figure out the implications of legalized sports gambling on the existing compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
However, with an increasing number of states opting for legalization, it’s likely a matter of when not if sports betting will become legal in Florida. Though the Sunshine State may be proceeding at a slower rate compared to its neighbors, we predict it is only a matter of time before legislation has been passed on to push legalization forward.
There is also belief that a key portion of Florida’s wait-and-see approach includes analyzing how other states have implemented legalized sports betting and utilizing that information to ascertain the best path ahead.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers in Florida
Have patience.
In other words, there is far too much money up for grabs for Florida to ignore legalized sports gambling forever, particularly as more and more countries move in that way. When there are specific complications facing Florida, nothing motivates politicians more than potential revenue.
Add to that the fact that folks in Florida love sports and love to gamble and you have the recipe for a booming sports betting market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers all over the state. If you’re on the lookout for updates on the circumstance, check back frequently as we will update this post as new information comes in.
We advocate circling March, 2019, on your calendars since it marks a meeting of the state legislature where discussions on how Florida plans to move on this issue are on the agenda.

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