In this way, the Seminole Tribe of Florida will maintain its exclusivity in sports betting in the state.
United States.- The Supreme Court of the United States declined this Monday to examine the legal challenge of two betting companies against the multimillion-dollar pact signed in 2021 by Florida with the Seminole Tribe, which opened the doors to virtual sports betting.
The country's highest judicial body denied a petition from opponents of the gaming agreement signed in 2021 by the Governor of Florida, the Republican DeSantis, and the president of the state's tribe, Marcellus Osceola. The pact grants the tribe a nearly monopoly on online gambling in the state for a duration of 30 years.
This is the latest judicial setback for the companies West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation, which operate racetracks and poker rooms in Florida, and had asked this court to oppose the tribe's implementation of online sports betting, as part of the agreement reached with the state.
Both companies argue that this pact grants the tribe the monopoly of sports betting and that the United States Department of the Interior erroneously approved the agreement despite it violating the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which requires that gambling be conducted on tribal lands.
The plaintiffs also argue that the sports betting plan violates federal law and would cause a "significant and potentially devastating impact" on their operations.
