Wallach pointed to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which provides that tribes may conduct certain types of gambling activities “on tribal lands.” Courts have strictly interpreted the federal law to mean that the activities need to take place on tribal lands. The tribe would pay the state up to 14 percent on the net winnings.īut Wallach and others question whether federal law allows the state to enter into a compact that authorizes gambling off tribal lands, even if the technology handling wagering transactions is located on the Seminoles’ property. Pari-mutuels would get to keep 60 percent of sports-betting revenue, with 40 percent going to the Seminoles. Under the agreement inked April 23 by DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., the Seminoles would serve as a hub for online sports betting, with pari-mutuel operators contracting with the tribe. Wallach warned that the compact could result in a legal quagmire because of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which governs what activities tribes can engage in. “Florida is a legal landmine,” Hallandale Beach lawyer Daniel Wallach, who specializes in sports betting, said in an interview. Other lawyers believe that the proposed compact with the Seminoles could run afoul of federal law. In addition, experts are divided about whether the Florida Constitution requires statewide voter approval to legalize sports betting. Department of the Interior also has to authorize the deal.

State lawmakers would have to sign off on the agreement, which is known as a “compact.” The U.S. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe of Florida have nailed down a gambling agreement to bring sports betting to the state and rake at least $2.5 billion into state coffers within five years.īut the complicated 30-year pact faces significant hurdles before Florida residents and visitors legally could whip out their phones and place bets on their favorite sports teams. After years of legal wrangling and failed attempts to seal a deal, Gov.

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