The amendment, known as Amendment 3, applies to types of gambling found in casinos and to types of gambling that are considered Class III under federal law.

The constitutional provision should be interpreted for sports betting as it exists today,” Rodriguez wrote. “The amendment is an enduring grant to the people themselves – and only them - to authorize new gambling in Florida. The amendment includes an exception for gambling that takes place on tribal lands.

The challenge pointed to part of the constitutional amendment that says it “ensures that Florida voters shall have the exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling” in the state. “This abuse of authority warrants this court’s review and correction,” Raquel Rodriguez, a Miami-based attorney with the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC firm, wrote in the 76-page lawsuit known as a “petition for a writ of quo warranto.” Is sports betting resuming in Florida? Seminole Tribe faces decision amid challenges The deal said bets “using a mobile app or other electronic device, shall be deemed to be exclusively conducted by the tribe.” signed the deal, known as a compact, in 2021 and state lawmakers ratified it.Ī “hub-and-spoke” plan in the agreement allowed the Seminoles to accept sports wagers from mobile devices anywhere in the state, with the bets run through servers on tribal land. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola, Jr. does business as Bonita Springs Poker Room in Southwest Florida. West Flagler holds three jai alai licenses, while Bonita-Fort Myers Corp.

The challenge, filed by West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., alleges the deal runs afoul of a 2018 constitutional amendment requiring voter approval of expansions of casino-style gambling. After a federal appeals court ruled against them, two pari-mutuel companies on Tuesday asked the Florida Supreme Court to strike down part of a multibillion-dollar deal that would give the Seminole Tribe control over sports betting throughout the state.

Florida online gaming laws