Presently online and offline sports gambling isn’t legal in the state of Florida, but hopefully that won’t be the case for long. Florida is in a exceptional position when it comes to legalizing online sports betting. Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in May of 2018 to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), several nations jumped headfirst to this multi-billion dollar business and immediately legalized sports gambling.
Florida, unfortunately, wasn’t one of these.
There are numerous reasons that is the case but the largest one has to do with the nation’s longtime streamlined with the Seminole Tribe, which we will tell you more about beneath. The uncertainty about the long term future of the agreement has been the biggest variable in the Sunshine State’s wait-and-see approach to legalization.
Nonetheless, there are alternatives for taxpayers of Florida while they await the nation’s legislators to act. Daily fantasy sports sites for example DraftKings and FanDuel accept players from Florida.
Horse racing sites like TwinSpires also function in the state.
The lack of urgency and movement on this matter is certainly frustrating for gamblers, but it may not stay this way indefinitely.
The sports gambling landscape is changing across the country and while it’s taking some state’s a long time (some longer than others), it is widely believed that it’s only a matter of time until Florida gets in on the action.
This page is your complete guide to what you want to learn about the past, present, and future of online sports betting in Florida. We are going to explain the US Supreme Court decision on PASPA in much more detail and describe how it figures into how sports betting regulation will take shape in Florida in the years ahead.
We’ll also keep this page update with significant advancements that may help or hurt Florida’s odds of presenting legal sports gambling in the not too distant future.
To learn more on other nations, read our country by state guides to US sports gambling laws.
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The Recent Online Sports Betting Situation at Florida
When the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 it opened up the door for each state to make their own conclusions with respect to legalizing sports betting in their jurisdiction. Each state can choose whether to do it at all and if so, how the regulations will work.
Since every state has its own history and political/economic climate, we are very likely to see change happen at a different rate depending on which part of the country you are discussing.
Sometimes the switch to legal sports betting was already in the works and happened instantaneously. In other regions the switch looks inevitable and is only waiting for laws or other red tape to be taken care of. In different areas, legalization of sports gambling might not happen in any way.
Florida falls somewhere in the middle of those classes. The state is receptive to gambling in general but there is legal work that has to be done before full-scale sports betting will be made available.
The present condition of legal online sports gambling in Florida is somewhat complex, to say the least.
Though Florida has the ability to legalize sports gambling, there are a couple of things standing whatsoever. The biggest obstacle is that the pact that the state has with the Seminole Tribe.
Basically, the agreement gives the Seminole Tribe a monopoly on all casino card games (blackjack, pai gow, casino poker variants, etc). However, the arrangement has gotten somewhat tenuous and the new possibility of sports betting has made the negotiations even more complex.
As it stands now, nothing is currently occurring on the legalization front and also the very first opportunity for anything to change will be March 2019, if the Florida Legislature meets next.
Florida definitely does not fall to the”Never going to happen” category in regards to legal sports gambling but it’s not going to be leading the charge towards law. Like most nations, though, Florida is going to have difficulty dismissing the potential revenue when they visit other neighboring states begin to reap the rewards.
The History of Online Sports Betting at Florida
Florida is among the states where sports gambling laws have not changed much over the last 50 decades or so.
Over time America has been through a number of reforms when it comes to the laws governing sports gambling. From the early 60s, in an effort to fight organized crime and mob related racketeering, the US authorities made inter-state sports betting illegal together with the Federal Wire act.
The problem with that plan of actions, not as what occurred with the prohibition of alcohol, is it only drove the company and flow of money farther underground.
Three years later, in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was introduced in an effort to protect the integrity of American sport by making betting on games prohibited anywhere outside Nevada. Americans may not have been in a position to bet on sports but it was not long after that the net made it possible for overseas sportsbooks to provide their solutions to US gamers online.
Since that time, the US has missed out on a massive revenue opportunity in the form of controlled sports gambling. There’s clearly a massive market for this as Americans spend billions annually wagering on sports in vegas and through unregulated off-shore casinos and sportsbooks.
As of this writing, sports gambling has never been legal in Florida, intriguing because the state has a comparatively large gambling civilization.
Racetracks and casinos are common place throughout the state, yet neither offers legalized sports gambling. The closest thing folks in Florida can bet on is dog and horse-racing along with the game of jai alai which has been legal and popular to bet on at the country since the 1960s.
The only real option sports gamblers need to place wagers on games would be to use one of several offshore options, which are illegal.
Which Online Sports Betting Sites Are Legal in Florida?
As you can imagine, there aren’t any”legal” online sports gambling websites in Florida. But, several offshore options exist for internet sports bettors, but nothing which could constitute as valid.
While not technically illegal, offshore sportsbooks are risky to use since they are located in far-off nations rather than subject to real oversight or regulations. If something goes wrong with the company or your accounts, it’s extremely difficult to fix the situation.
Our advice is to await legal and fully regulated choices to arrive from the United States.
In the coming months, and after March of 2019 specifically, we highly suggest returning for this page for an update as we plan to continue to keep readers updated on all matters regarding the legalization of sports betting across America.
What Sports Could You Bet on Online in Florida?
As of this moment, there are no sports you can bet on legally online or away. However, if sports betting does become legalized in the state of Florida, it is going to bring with it a complete slate of specialist and amateuer sports to wager on.
Florida has a massive sports culture and tons of expert teams for residents to root for. Here are some of the nation’s teams that will bring in a lot of betting action.
Football Florida is home to three NFL franchises at the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars so Floridians will have plenty of neighborhood NFL choices to bet on if it becomes legal.
The country also includes a slew of NCAA teams with the biggest being the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles. Additionally drawing comparatively large crowds for faculty ball would be the Miami Hurricanes, the South Florida Bulls along with the UCF Knights.
Basketball
Basketball is enormous in Florida and the country is represented by not one but two NBA teams: The Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. When sports gambling becomes legal in Florida that you can expect a lot of action to center around these two franchises.
When it comes to NCAA basketball Florida’s biggest teams are the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles.
Baseball
Two Major League Baseball teams call Florida house: The Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays, both of which were founded in the 1990s. Florida is also home to MLB Spring Training annually which may also be possible to bet on in the future.
Hockey
If you listen to ice hockey you may not think of Florida but the sport is relatively popular with just two NHL franchises based in the state. The Tampa Bay Lighting and also the Florida Panthers which play home games in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise is a city just west of Ft. Lauderdale and just north of Miami.
Wagering On Different Sports
Once legalization takes effect, people in Florida will be able to wager on all manner of pro sports, not only teams located in the nation. Gator and Seminole fans are also eager to know that school sports should be accessible to wager on also, giving residents an opportunity to bet on heaps of college sports matches every weekend.
When the time does come we view legalized sports gambling in the state of Florida, it would most likely start with property established sportsbooks within a physical casino. Land-based betting is usually followed by online sportsbooks offering the same betting choices as live places.
Can There Be No-Deposit Sports Betting in Florida?
Given that online sports betting is still illegal, the matter of no deposit gambling is currently moot. However, in case that online sports gambling becomes lawful, citizens of Florida can expect a similar strategy to what other nations are offering.
In countries like New York and Mississippi, bettors are usually required to create a deposit upon registration in order to make real money bets. That said, no-deposit promotions are very popular and should you find one, consider it. Bear in mind, however, that any type of advertising regarding no-deposit wagering generally comes with a few strings attached.
Depositing rules vary from every online sportsbook you decide to utilize, so make sure that you pay close attention to playthrough requirements, withdrawal limitations and any additional fine print that comes with the offer.
What Is the Future of Online Sports Betting at Florida?
The most immediate key date will come sometime in March, since that is the next time the Florida Legislature will fulfill. Until then, there is quite a lot of work that needs to be carried out as a way to figure out the consequences of legalized sports betting on the present compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
However, with more and more countries opting for legalization, it is probably a matter of when not if sports betting betting is becoming legal in Florida. While the Sunshine State may be moving at a slower pace than its neighbors, we forecast it’s only a matter of time before legislation is passed to push legalization forward.
There is also belief that a key part of Florida’s wait-and-see approach involves analyzing how other states have implemented legalized sports betting and using that information to determine the best route ahead.
What This Means For Sports Gamblers at Florida
Have patience.
In other words, there’s far too much cash up for grabs for Florida to ignore legalized sports betting forever, especially as more and more states move in that direction. While there are unique complications confronting Florida, nothing inspires politicians more than prospective earnings.
Add to the fact that people in Florida love sports and already love to gamble and you have the recipe for a thriving sports gambling market.
Until then, patience is required from sports gamblers throughout the state. If you’re on the lookout for updates on the circumstance, check back regularly as we will update this article as new information comes in.
We advocate circling March, 2019, on your calendars as it marks a meeting of the state legislature where talks on how Florida plans to proceed on this issue are on the schedule.

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