Seminole Tribe suspends Florida online sports betting app

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has switched off its Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app after a second federal court denied its request to continue offering mobile sports betting in the state.

US.- The Seminole Tribe of Florida has shut down its Hard Rock sports betting app after the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision that the tribe’s compact violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).

On November 22, US District Court Judge Friedrich ruled that sports betting can be offered via a smartphone or laptop only on tribal lands. She concluded that the compact signed between the tribe and Governor Ron DeSantis should never have been approved by the US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The Seminole Tribe appealed the decision and continued to take wagers through the app, but on Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit followed Friedrich’s decision. The tribe turned off its online sports betting app on Saturday.

Seminole Tribe spokesperson Gary Bitner said: “Despite the decision, the Seminole Tribe looks forward to working with the State of Florida and the U.S. Department of Justice to aggressively defend the validity of the 2021 Compact before the Appeals Court, which has yet to rule on the merits of the 2021 Compact.”

Seminole Tribe chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. estimated that the company invested more than $25m to launch the sportsbook. It expected to spend another $20m before the end of the year.

See also: Federal judge rules against Florida sports betting