The owners of two Florida pari-mutuels program to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a case difficult the legality of a multibillion-dollar deal that gave the Seminole tribe manage of statewide sports betting. They argue that the outcome of this case could set a precedent for the expansion of gaming beyond Indian lands, and therefore the Supreme Court’s involvement is important. A current ruling by an appeals court in Washington, DC upheld the legality of the agreement beneath the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Even so, the owners of the Magic City Casino and the Bonita Springs Poker Space argue that the selection contradicts other appellate rulings and has the possible to lead to a drastic transform in public policy on legalized gambling.
The dispute dates back to a 2021 gambling agreement signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribal Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., which was later authorized by the state legislature. The deal was initially halted by a federal judge in November 2021, following a legal challenge from the pari-mutuel owners. They argued that such as sports betting in the compact violated federal law and would have a critical influence on their organization. The agreement permitted for a mobile sports betting program, exactly where bets could be placed on the net from anyplace in the state, with bets processed via servers positioned on tribal lands. Beneath the agreement, these bets would be deemed to be performed exclusively by the tribe.
Washington, D.C.-primarily based U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich struck down components of the agreement, such as the mobile sports betting provision, calling it a “fiction.” The judge’s ruling also criticized US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s approval of the deal, saying she was incorrect to permit it to go into impact. The Ministry of the Interior filed an appeal against Friedrich’s selection. Owners of pari-mutuels say the appeals court’s ruling contradicts other courts’ conclusions and raises issues about possible far-reaching effects on the future of legalized gambling. They hope the U.S. Supreme Court will deliver clarity on the challenge and avert irreversible policy modifications associated to the expansion of gambling beyond tribal lands.