The “hub-and-spoke” sports-betting plan in the compact allows gamblers throughout the state to place bets online, with the bets run through computer servers on tribal property. The Legislature signed off on the agreement, known as a compact, in a May special session, but the deal is being challenged in federal court. Ron DeSantis this spring opened the door to sports betting in Florida - viewed as one of the nation’s most-fertile grounds for digital wagering - through a deal signed with tribe Chairman Marcelus Osceola Jr. The tribe’s highly anticipated rollout of sports betting in the state came with no fanfare, and a spokesman declined to comment when asked about the launch.īut social media erupted Monday afternoon after the Seminoles’ Hard Rock Sportsbook allowed players in Florida to download an app enabling them to make deposits and place wagers on professional football, hockey and soccer games and make bets on other sports. The Seminole Tribe on Monday quietly launched online sports betting in Florida, amid continuing legal challenges to a gambling deal approved by state lawmakers in May.
