Florida Sports Betting

Florida sports betting has had its fair share of ups and downs. It went live, was promptly shut down, and then went live again via the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app from the Seminole Tribe. It remains live today since launching (or, rather, relaunching) in November 2023.

For now, the Hard Rock Bet app is only option those in Florida have for online sports betting. The app covers all the major sports, including football, baseball, basketball, and hockey, with a nice range of markets and betting opportunities. You can also bet on sports in person at the six tribal casinos owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida who thanks to an updated tribal-state gaming compact have exclusivity over sports betting in the state.

Read on to learn all you need to know about the current state of Florida sports betting, including information about the Hard Rock Bet app, where to find Florida’s retail sportsbooks, and more about the present and future of sports betting in the Sunshine State.

Is sports betting legal in Florida?

Sports betting is legal in Florida, but there’s only one legal online sportsbook. In 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an updated tribal gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns the Hard Rock brand, and the Florida legislature ratified the compact. The agreement handed the tribe exclusive rights over online sports betting in Florida. In return, the Seminole Tribe agreed to pay the state an estimated $2.5 billion over the first five years of the agreement.

Additionally, the new deal allows the Seminoles to accept in-person wagers at its tribal casinos. Following the 2023 online sportsbook relaunch, the tribe eventually opened retail sportsbooks at six of their gaming properties. Pari-mutuel properties can operate retail sportsbooks as a contracted vendor of the tribe. However, none of the properties entered into a deal with the tribe yet.

The Seminoles initially launched the online sports betting app, originally named Hard Rock Sportsbook, in early Nov. 2021. The ownership group of a competing pari-mutuels, West Flagler Associates, objected to the model used in the compact and mounted a legal challenge. West Flagler initially received a favorable ruling in U.S. District Court, forcing the tribe to take the new sports betting app offline after just 34 days of operation.

The Seminole Tribe appealed the ruling, and after a two-year legal battle a panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the earlier decision in July 2023. A few months later, the Seminoles relaunched the newly-revamped (and renamed) Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app on Nov. 7, 2023.

More appeals followed and the matter continues to be litigated. But for now and for the foreseeable future, sports betting remains legal in Florida both online via the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook and in person at the six Seminole-operated casinos’ retail sportsbooks.

How to bet on sports online in Florida

Getting started betting online in Florida is a quick and simple process.

• Visit the Hard Rock Bet website or download the Hard Rock Bet app available both for Android and Apple devices.
• You might be asked to choose your state, in which case select “Florida.”
• Click the purple “Sign Up” button and follow the prompts asking you to provide your email address and create a password.
• Next provide your full name, phone number, home address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
• Agree to the terms, submit the form, and verify your account. From there, you can then click “Deposit” and fund your account. The minimum deposit is $10.
• When you choose a bet, just click it and it will appear on your bet slip. You can then type in the amount you would like to wager and confirm the bet to submit it.

That’s all there is to it. When you create your account, be sure to keep an eye out for any welcome offers and take advantage of them. After you start wagering on the site, you’ll also find frequent promotions and bonuses available as well.

Rules and limitations to Florida sports betting

Florida has not passed any official sports betting laws that would allow commercial operators, so apps like DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook cannot launch in the Sunshine State. The Seminole Tribe currently holds a monopoly over online sports betting in Florida, courtesy of its tribal gaming compact.

Here are some other crucial details about the landscape of legal sports betting in Florida.

• Legal age: 21
• Retail sportsbooks: Sports betting kiosks are available at six casinos owned by the Seminole Tribe.
• Mobile betting options: Professional and college sports betting are permitted, including on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and various other sports.
• Geofencing: Turn on location services when using the Hard Rock Bet app or use a GeoComply plugin when using the sports betting site on a computer.
• Remote registration: You can register a Hard Rock Bet from anywhere (even outside of Florida), so you do not need to visit a casino to sign up. Remember, though, that you need to be physically located in Florida in order to place any wagers.
• Taxes on winnings: There is no personal income tax in Florida, so you only need to pay federal taxes on sports betting winnings. The taxes you pay will be determined by your income bracket, as your winnings should be added to your income for the year.

Legal betting options in Florida

The 2021 gaming compact permits the Seminole Tribe to accept online and in-person bets on professional and college sports. Hard Rock Bet covers football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, tennis, MMA, boxing, and motorsports.

You can also bet on smaller sports, such as darts, volleyball, table tennis, rugby union, rugby league, handball, and Aussie rules. The Hard Rock Bet Florida app offers standard juice on spreads and totals, decent moneylines, and lots of props, plus same game parlays and flex parlays, which provide an interesting alternative to round robins.

College betting rules

Floridians can bet on college sports, including games featuring teams based in the state, such as the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, and Miami Hurricanes. However, you cannot place player props on collegiate athletes. Hard Rock Bet covers college football, college basketball, and college baseball.

Legal sportsbooks in Florida

As noted, you can place in-person sports wagers at tribal casinos owned by the Seminole Tribe, or you can use the Hard Rock Bet app or website from anywhere in Florida. No other sportsbooks are legal right now in the Sunshine State.

Mobile sportsbooks in Florida

There is only one legal sports betting app in Florida. You can download Hard Rock Bet via the App Store or Google Play.

Retail sportsbooks in Florida

The Seminole Tribe accepts in-person sports wagers at all six of its casinos in Florida. You cannot place sports bets at the other tribal casinos in the state, such as Miccosukee Casino in Miami. Card rooms, horse racing tracks, and racinos do not offer retail sports betting, either.

Here are the six Seminole properties we mentioned where you can wager on sports:

Pros and cons of Florida sports betting

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Florida’s narrow legal sports betting market.

Pros ✅:

✅ You can bet on a wide array of sporting events each day via your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.

✅ The Hard Rock Bet app is fast, reliable, easy to use, and well-designed, offering a strong all-round user experience.

✅ The app offers decent betting odds and a broad range of markets, including lots of prop bets and alternative lines.

✅ Withdrawal requests are processed quickly and efficiently, and there are no fees applied to deposits or withdrawals.

Cons ❌:

❌ There is only one legal online sportsbook in Florida, so bettors do not benefit from the same level of competition that exists in other states.

❌ Hard Rock Bet offers a small, slightly underwhelming sign-up bonus, as it is not competing with rival apps for new customers.

❌ The Hard Rock Bet app does not offer as many features, promos, or betting options as the leading sportsbooks in other states, such as BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings.

❌ Player props are unavailable on college games in Florida, which is not the case in some other states.

Other betting options in Florida

In addition to sports betting, there are a number of other legal betting options in Florida, including the following:

• Casino: There are eight tribal casinos in Florida, six of which are operated by the Seminole Tribe. Some horse racing tracks also host slot machines, so they are known as racinos. Meanwhile, other casino venues have introduced poker rooms. Online casino gaming has not been legalized in Florida, so to play slots or table games online you must use social and sweepstakes casino sites.
• Horse racing: Pari-mutuel wagering is legal in Florida. You can place bets at tracks such as Gulfstream Park or at off-track betting facilities. Alternatively, you can use online racebooks.
• Daily fantasy sports: FanDuel and DraftKings accept DFS customers in Florida, as they have never been prevented from doing so. However, the Florida Gaming Control Commission recently outlawed pick’em DFS contests at sites like Betr, Underdog Fantasy, and Prize Picks.
• Poker: In-person poker tournaments and cash games are legal in Florida, and you’ll find the state has a thriving poker scene. You can visit poker rooms at tribal casinos, and some horse racing tracks and greyhound racing tracks also host poker rooms. Online poker has not been legalized in Florida.

Responsible gambling in Florida

It is always important to practice responsible gambling whenever you bet on sports or engage in any other form of gambling. Sports bettors can impose deposit limits, betting limits, and time limits on their Hard Rock Bet accounts in Florida. Those tools can be helpful, as they make it easier to stick to predetermined budgets and avoid chasing losses.

If you have a gambling problem, you can call 1-800-GAMBLER. The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling site highlights the local resources you can access, and it also provides tips on how to gamble responsibly and enjoy sports betting in moderation.