Florida lawmakers on Wednesday approved a landmark gaming accord negotiated by the governor and the Seminole Tribe that will legalize mobile sports betting and provide Florida with $2.5 billion in additional revenues over the next five years, supporters say.
The deal gives the tribe a monopoly on overseeing sports betting on mobile devices, something that others in the gambling industry - and opponents of expanded gaming - opposed. Litigation over the tribal compact will be inevitable despite the state lawmakers' strong endorsement of the accord, a spokesman for the group No Casinos told the Florida Record in an email.
The No Casinos president, John Sowinski, said this week that the legislature’s ratification of the compact would clear the way for the biggest expansion of gambling in the state’s history.
“This fight is just beginning,” Sowinski said in a statement emailed to the Florida Record. “We are committed to ensuring that the will of the people, who voted by a remarkable 72 percent landslide to give Florida voters the exclusive right to authorize casino gambling in our state, will be respected.”
Sowinski was referring to a 2018 state constitutional amendment that Floridians endorsed by a more than two-to-one margin. The measure stated that Florida voters have the exclusive right to authorize casino gambling operations.
No Casinos argues that the compact negotiated by Gov. Ron DeSantis violates not only the state constitution but federal law as well. The compact will lead to protracted, costly litigation that the state cannot win, according to No Casinos.
The compact would also lead to casinos and slot machines being located in communities that don’t want them and to social problems, since the gaming technology will not be capable of keeping children from gambling online, the group said.
But DeSantis defended the agreement on Wednesday, saying that it would bring in an estimated $6 billion in state revenues through 2030 and create more than 2,000 new jobs.
The accord would help the state to better invest in its future by providing funding for public education, transportation and environmental protection, supporters said.
DraftKings, a digital sports entertainment and gaming firm, declined to comment on the Seminole agreement.