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Florida sports betting is on hold – at least until a federal appeals court decides if it will allow sportsbook operations to continue under a tribal-state gaming compact struck down in November.
Those looking for other mobile betting options in the meantime may want to consider horse race betting apps, which are legal and operational in Florida. TVG and TwinSpires are among the most widely-used horse race betting apps in Florida to date.
Now another horse race betting app has joined the Florida market, with the Dec. 20 launch of the BetMGM Horse Racing mobile app.
Currently live in three states including Florida, Louisiana, and Ohio, the BetMGM horse race betting app allows Floridians to watch and wager on world-class Thoroughbred, Harness, and Quarter Horse races from more than 200 tracks around the globe.
BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt yesterday called the launch a new way “to engage with a new customer base in the South,” adding, “the BetMGM Horse Racing app is a key part of our market expansion plans and will accelerate our continued growth into 2022.”
The Status Of Florida Sports Betting Apps
Florida sports betting came to halt on Dec. 4, 2021 when the Seminole Tribe closed its sportsbook in the wake of a federal ruling which shuttered the tribe’s sports betting operations.
The tribe had launched Florida sports betting in Nov. 2021 under a 2021 tribal-state gaming compact that gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to operate sports betting in the state. That compact was soon thrown out on Nov. 22 by a federal court judge who ruled that the compact violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), a federal law governing tribal gaming on Indian lands.
The Seminole Tribe decided to halt sports betting via its Hard Rock sportsbook app and at retail locations on Dec. 4 – the day after its request for a stay on appeal was denied.
It could be mid to late 2022 before a decision in the case is reached. Other federal cases filed against the 2021 Florida tribal-state gaming compact are also pending.
