The U.S. Supreme Court has approved a petition by two Florida-based betting operators, West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation, to temporarily suspend the launch of online sports betting in the state of Florida.
This decision again calls into question the future of sports betting in the state. It all stems from a long-running conflict over the legality of a gambling agreement between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe.
The signing of the order by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts, means that the Seminole Tribe of Florida is banned from providing sports betting across the state until the court's ruling. The Department of the Interior must file its response to West Flagler's motion by Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.
Regardless of what the court decides, it's likely that sports betting through the Seminole-owned Hard Rock brand will not resume in the near future. Even despite early predictions of sports betting launching at the start of the National Football League season.West Flagler said on Oct. 6 that it plans to file a formal request for court review (certiorari) no later than Nov. 20. If the court accepts the case, it will likely take many years before the conflict is resolved.
