Florida: Judges seem split on sports wagering after oral arguments

Florida: Judges seem split on sports wagering after oral arguments

Article brief provided by SportsHandle
  • Jill R. Dorson, SportsHandle
December 14, 2022 3:03 PM

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is generally interpreted as governing gaming on tribal lands and gives tribes across the U.S. the right to offer it. In addition, Hamish Hume, an attorney for a pair of Florida parimutuels, said U.S. law defines the location of gambling as where the bet is placed and accepted.

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Yet the Seminole Tribe’s 2021 compact with the state of Florida defines wagering as having happened on tribal lands no matter the location of the bettor within the state. That, according to Hume, the attorney for West Flagler and Associates, is at the heart of what makes the compact illegal and is wrong with the decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to deem it approved.

Hume made that argument Wednesday morning before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the the District of Columbia.