Feds, state, Seminoles defend Florida sports-betting deal in court; No Casinos group pushes back

Feds, state, Seminoles defend Florida sports-betting deal in court; No Casinos group pushes back

Article brief provided by Florida Phoenix
  • Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix
August 31, 2022 11:53 PM
  • Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix

In a fight over who can control gambling in Florida, the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida have filed arguments with a federal appellate court defending their five-year, $2.5 billion gambling compact, which would allow sports betting statewide as long as all bets are funneled through computer servers on tribal land.

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No Casinos, an anti-gambling organization, which is not a party to this case, plans to file its own amicus brief on behalf of state voters who supported Florida’s Constitution ban on expanding gambling absent a statewide referendum, according to spokesman John Sowinski.

The situation is playing out in Washington, D.C., where District of Columbia District Judge Dabney Friedrich struck down the deal on Nov. 23 and a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused in early December to interfere.