After a failed legal sports betting attempt in 2020, Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes has introduced a new bill that could give Florida legal sports betting in 2021. The main motivation for Florida to legalize sports betting is tax revenue. The proposed bill would net the state 15% of all revenue and charge each sportsbook a $100,000 licensing fee.

• Legal Gambling Age In Florida
• Is Online Sports Gambling Legal In Florida
• Is Sports Gambling Legal In Florida

• As Florida lawmakers look to change state gambling laws, they'll have to deal with an amendment passed by voters Posted By Dara Kam, News Service of Florida on Tue, Oct 15, 2019 at 12:00 AM click.
• Yes, Bovada Sportsbook can legally accept customers from Florida. Since Bovada is operating legally within the international sports betting industry, they may accept bettors from around the world, including the US and Florida. Residents of the Sunshine State can place bets at Bovada without violating any state or federal gambling laws.
• Currently, Florida online sports betting is not available. This means that you can’t find Florida online sportsbooks (or online casinos) legally operating in this state. However, things could change in the future, as there has been recent developments as sports betting talks have begun with the Seminoles.

Challenges Facing Florida Sports Betting

I don’t know of any official count, but a good chunk of those brackets would be considered illegal in states like Florida, where sports betting is banned. Of all the things to go down for, it seems. After a failed legal sports betting attempt in 2020, Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes has introduced a new bill that could give Florida legal sports betting in 2021. The main motivation for Florida to legalize sports betting is tax revenue. The proposed bill would net the state 15% of all revenue and charge each sportsbook a $100,000.

Should sports betting clear, it would give Florida much-needed tax revenue. The economy has taken a major hit due to COVID-19 which has increased the need for alternate revenue streams.

Senator Jeff Brandes is a Republican which is the same political party as Governor DeSantis. Theoretically, the relationship between the two in the same party could see that the bill is passed.

However, the bill is conveniently missing a critical piece of legislation in Florida. The Seminole Tribe of Florida is not mentioned at all in the bill that is attempting to legalize sports betting. In order for this bill to pass, there will need to be some clarification on where the Seminole Tribe fits into legalized sports betting. Currently, they have gambling exclusivity in Florida.

It would appear unlikely that they would give up exclusive rights to gambling in the state. Thus, the state and tribe would need to work together to make this a reality.

Legal Sports Betting Cannot Happen Without The Seminole Tribe of Florida

The active bill from Senator Brandes is currently scheduled to reach committee status in March. Should it move past the committee, there would be legitimate optimism about the sports betting opportunity in Florida.

The caveat to this argument from Senator Brandes is that he attempted to pass a similar bill earlier in 2020. At this time, the bill does not include any language related to the monopoly that the Seminole Tribe has on gambling. Should the bill continue to the committee stage, there will need to be discussions with the Seminole Tribe to work together. They will not be left off from this bill so there is a ton of work to do on that end.

Recent Optimism For Florida Sports Bettors

Thankfully, there is some reason for optimism for sports betting in Florida. Hard Rock International recently launched a digital gaming platform in conjunction with the Seminole Tribe. The willingness to work with Hard Rock is a major step forward for the state. With this, it shows that Hard Rock believes that Florida could legalize sports betting sooner rather than later.

The next steps for 2021 sports betting in Florida will be key. First, sports betting will need to move to the committee stage and get through it rather quickly. If the bill were to pass the committee, the bill would hit state legislative bodies. Governor DeSantis would then have the opportunity to sign the bill into law and rules would be ratified.

The absolute best-case scenario for Florida would be sports betting in Q4 2021, which is still ambitious. The Seminole Tribe still holds the keys to everything gambling-related in the state. The tribe’s views will be important to monitor as the revenue-hungry state continues to move forward.

Florida may be home to a number of great tribal casinos, but for the time being there is still no legal Florida sports betting. For this reason, instead of using this guide to recommend the best Florida legal online sportsbook, we’ve focused on the current state of gambling laws in Florida.

We’ve provided an overview of the other betting options you can enjoy when in Florida, as well as discussed what the future may bring for sports betting. On this site, we will only ever recommend you only sign up to licensed online bookmakers, so we’ve also explained why you should avoid illegal offshore bookmakers at all costs.

What Betting Options are Legal for Florida Residents

Contents

• What Betting Options are Legal for Florida Residents
• Frequently Asked Questions

Florida is no doubt a gambling-friendly state. Residents have long been free to bet on pari-mutuel racing and the lottery, and since the advent of tribal gaming in the late 80s, players can also enjoy slot machines and table games at casinos. Poker is also legal in the state, and talks of expanding current gambling laws means legal Florida online gambling may be a reality soon.

Is Daily Fantasy Legal in Florida?

Although it is not technically legal, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is tolerated by state authorities, and most major online bookmakers such as FanDuel and DraftKings accept players from Florida. For the time being, DFS is probably about as close as it gets to legal online sports betting in Florida.

DFS requires contestants to draft fantasy lineups of players from a sports league within a set budget. Contestants score points based on the performance of their chosen players in that round, and those who score the most points win the prize pool. There are a number of reputable sports betting sites that offer these games.

Are there Legal Offshore Sites for Florida Players

Florida does not have any set of laws that criminalize the use of offshore betting sites such as Bovada and MyBookie. However, this doesn’t mean to say that they are legal. As these sites aren’t licensed by a Florida regulator, they are not trusted sportsbooks. We only suggest signing up for legal websites with government-guaranteed safety and fairness standards.

Casinos

While there may be no legal online sports betting in Florida, the state offers a huge selection of casino games options for its residents and visitors. Some of the best of these are the eight Native American casinos that offer table games, slot machines and world-class entertainment.

We particularly recommend the guitar-shaped Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Florida also allows for slot machines and some table games at its racetracks, giving them the nickname of Racinos. These gaming facilities are not run by the tribes, meaning that tribes technically have no gaming exclusivity in Florida.

Racetrack Betting

Florida is known as being one of the best horse racing destinations in the world and is home to world-class tracks such as the Tampa Bay Downs Racecourse. At these racecourses, visitors can bet on both live greyhound and horse races that are taking place nationally and internationally.

As mentioned above, racetracks in the state also provide some great casino-style gambling opportunities. Horse racing in Florida is regulated by a state division of pari-mutuel wagering to ensure that the industry is efficient and fair, making it a safe betting option until legal online sports betting in Florida is allowed.

Card Rooms

If you’re looking for endless poker fun, then Florida is the state for you. There are hundreds of poker tables across the state located in card rooms at racinos, casinos, and individual card room establishments. These host everything from small games to huge tournaments with staggering jackpot prizes.

Poker games can be enjoyed 7 days a week, and the state even allows for no-limit games. As there is technically no law making online poker illegal in the state, some people choose to play online. However, like online sports betting, we suggest waiting for a licensed online casino before you trust an offshore site with your money.

Nearby States with Legal Sports Betting

Until there is a Florida legal online sportsbook available, state residents are free to travel to other states where sports betting is legal to place bets. Unfortunately, there are no bordering states that offer sports betting yet, though if it comes to betting on a major game like the Super Bowl, why not make a holiday of it?

Below, we’ve listed the closest states to Florida that offer legal sports betting.

• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Tennessee

What would Legal Sports Betting in Florida Look Like

Currently, Florida’s lawmakers are trying to come to an agreement with the tribes to decide on the terms of a sports betting bill. The tribes are unsatisfied by the proposal to allow non-tribal interests to offer sports betting, as they want their physical casinos to be the only sportsbooks in the state.

Once a Florida sports betting agreement is made, the bill will then have to be approved in a voter referendum, so the likelihood of sports betting will depend on if voters want further gambling expansion. All of these issues may mean that legal online sports betting in Florida may not happen for some time.

For the time being, you may be tempted to place bets at offshore bookmakers. In our experience, we have found that the safest betting sites are those that are regulated by state licensing agencies. These ensure that vulnerable players such as underage and problem gamblers are protected, and demand a certain degree of fairness.

It may seem that Florida sports betting legalization is a long shot, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Both the tribes and lawmakers understand that there is money to be made from legal sports betting, and there are doubtless millions of Floridians wanting to bet on major sports leagues teams such as the Miami Dolphins or Miami Heat.

What are the Florida Gambling Laws

Florida’s history is dotted with huge milestones that have led it to have one of the richest gambling cultures in the United States. In fact, Florida sports betting was first legalized in 1932, though this was later repealed by subsequent governments. It was also the first place to allow for legal Native American gaming.

The Florida Lottery was established in 1986 and has since grown to be incredibly popular. Slot machines were legalized in 2004 at Seminole Tribal gaming facilities, resulting in an explosion of casino gaming popularity. This was boosted in 2010 when the $2 limit on poker games was lifted.

In many respects, Florida offers a gambling experience that few other states do. Aside from sports betting, players can enjoy almost all forms of popular gambling activities. Additionally, where many states’ tribal casinos are located in reservations away from large populations, a number of Florida’s casinos exist in major metropolitan areas.

Florida laws stipulate that players must be over the age of 18 to participate in the lottery, place bets on pari-mutuel races, or to legally play poker. As alcohol is served in most casinos, players need to be over 21 to enjoy table games and electronic gaming machines in Florida.

It’s likely that if in-person sports betting or legal online sports betting comes to Florida, players will need to be over the age of 18 to bet. However, this will all depend on where betting is available, as 18-year-olds can bet at Racinos freely but may have difficulty at a Seminole tribal casino.

What is the Future of Sports Betting in Florida?

For the time being, it seems as though legal sports betting in Florida may take a few more years to materialize. This is because there are major disagreements between the current state governor and the tribes. Even when an agreement is made, a strong campaign will need to convince state voters to approve it.

Nevertheless, if legal online sports betting in Florida happens, we have no doubt that it will be one of the most popular legal sport betting states in the country, as the state is represented in every major sports league. For the time being, bettors will need to travel out of state to safely and legally place sports bets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have any more questions about Florida sports betting and whether or not you are able to make legal online bets? In this section, we have answered a number of questions that are commonly asked about Florida gambling laws.

Is online gambling and sports betting legal in Florida?

Both online gambling and sports betting are not legal in Florida. Although there is no law that technically says they are illegal either, the lack of legalization means these activities are not licensed. For this reason, there is nothing stopping dangerous websites from taking advantage of players and ripping them off.

Legal Gambling Age In Florida

What is the Florida legal gambling age?

This depends on what you bet on. There are two minimum gambling ages in Florida. Firstly, players must be over the age of 18 to gamble at racetracks, to play poker, to sign up for DFS or to play the lottery. Players must be over the age of 21 to play at the state’s Seminole gaming facilities.

Are offshore bookmaker sites legal and safe?

Is Online Sports Gambling Legal In Florida

Though offshore bookmakers are not technically illegal, this does not mean that they are safe. Any website that accepts players from unlicensed or illegal markets is not trustworthy, as it proves that they are more concerned about profiting than respecting local laws.

Is Sports Gambling Legal In Florida

Can I use the FanDuel or DraftKings app in Florida?

Players can use both FanDuel and DraftKings in Florida, making them the closest thing to a legal Florida sports betting app available. However, players can only use them to play daily fantasy sports, with their sportsbook functions disabled in the state until legal online sports betting in Florida is legalized. So it is currently not possible to bet on NFL until new laws are put in place.