Industry
January 3, 2023
Seminole Tribe Lashes Back against Alleged Whistleblowers
A successful petition to investigate the lottery further destabilized the situation as parties threatened legal action. A Vaccination Lottery Gone Wrong Sparked Tensions The ongoing controversy began after the Seminole Tribe held a vaccination lottery using $3 million of COVID-19 federal relief funds to incentivize tribal members to vaccinate against the virus. With a grand […]
Casino
August 15, 2022
Seminole Tribe Contributes $1 Million to DeSantis’ Re-Election Committee
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has backed the re-election bid by current Governor Ron DeSantis. The Governor’s re-election committee has stated that the tribe donated $1 million to show its support. Last year, the Seminoles and DeSantis created a new gaming compact but was shut down by a federal judge. The $1 Million Donation Is […]
Legal
July 13, 2022
Florida Unlikely to Resolve Sports Betting Case This Year
The court case blocking the legalization of mobile sports betting in Florida is unlikely to be resolved this year, a timetable of the US Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suggests. Briefing Schedule The case filed by West Flagler Associates, operator of Magic City Casino, and Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation, doing business as […]
Legal
November 23, 2021
Sports Betting in Florida Takes a Step Back after a Federal Judge’s Decision
By now, more than half of the US states have legalized and launched some form of sports betting. While those states enjoy the benefits of increased tax revenue and the reduced black market, others are yet to launch the activity. Florida is one of the states where sports betting continues to face difficulties. Florida Puts […]
Legal
November 11, 2021
Federal Government Claims Florida Compact Adheres to IGRA
A lawsuit filed against the compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe is now up to a judge to decide after representatives of the Secretary of the Interior responded to a request for a brief. West Flagler Associates’ Case Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney Rebecca Ross, representing Secretary of the Interior Deb […]
Business
August 9, 2021
Sport Betting in Florida Silently Clears a Major Hurdle, but Trouble Remains
In spite of multiple attempts to derail the effort, Florida’s legalized sports betting market is now only inches from the finish line. The federal government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) had 45 days to approve the state’s gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida and has allowed that window to close with no response. […]
Legal
July 6, 2021
Southwest Parimutuels Files Lawsuit against FL Gaming Compact
Sports betting legalization in Florida is now facing legal hurdles after a pari-mutuel company filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the state compact with the Seminole Tribe. Legal Fiction Southwest Parimutuels, owner of Magic City Casino in Miami and the Bonita Springs Poker Room, filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern […]
Industry
June 23, 2021
Florida’s Gaming Compact with the Seminole Has New Resistance
The Department of the Interior (DoI) is expected to reveal its decision on the gaming compact between Florida lawmakers and the Seminole Tribe of Florida in the next couple of weeks, but how it will respond still isn’t clear. Across the US, when presented with new gaming compacts following the demise of PASPA in 2018, […]
Casino
June 4, 2021
Miami Beach Mayor Implores Federal Rejection of New Seminole Gambling Compact
Florida’s lawmakers may have been able to find a successful path for the new gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, but whether it survives federal scrutiny still remains to be seen. Several controversial measures included in the new agreement, including the possibility of a casino being built in Miami, haven’t been received well […]
Legal
May 20, 2021
Florida Lawmakers Approve Seminole Tribe Gaming Compact
After making some minor adjustments to its language, lawmakers in Florida’s Senate and House of Representatives have approved a new gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. There is likely still to be at least a little blowback over some of the terms of the agreement, but its approval paves the way for Florida […]