Pending lawsuits claiming a number of allegations against the Seminole Tribe of Florida and their gaming compact with the State of Florida have caused all Hard Rock sportsbook locations, both online and off, to cease operations until resolved.
The compact was declared unconstitutional in federal court, and now, the Department of the Interior intends to appeal that decision, citing that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is allowed total approval authority. The Seminole Tribe of Florida has also filed an appeal.
The crux of the matter is based on the Florida sports betting monopoly provided to the Seminole Tribe via the compact. The Sunshine State’s poker rooms are cut out of the action and have raised enough of a stink to shelve domestic sports betting in Florida for the time being.
While federal court proceedings can take years to complete, the money tied into these cases will likely prompt expeditious action so stay tuned to this blog for Florida sports betting updates as they occur.