Re(1): Orlando Jai Alai Posted on July 13, 2023 at 04:25:36 PM by Bennett
I don’t follow all this stuff as much as I used to, so another chalkie may know more or have more current info. But here is my understanding:
The decoupling bill was tied to the new gaming compact with the Seminoles in FL. That compact also gave the Seminoles the ability to offer sports betting. The compact has been challenged in court, and was thrown out by a judge before….but the legal battles continue.
Since decoupling was tied to the new compact, the status of decoupling is also in limbo. I think this uncertainty gives the tracks/frontons motivation to keep running live dates to keep their licenses valid. So that would be the reason for Orlando running the minimum of live dates, and yes it is a sham.
I think the (main) sticking point on the sports betting portion of the compact is where bets can take place. The Seminoles say that with the compact, people should be able to wager via an app on their phone from anywhere within the state. They say this wagering is still “taking place” on tribal land…..because the servers that run the system would be located on Seminole land. Opponent of this say no, if someone uses an app on their phone from their house….that person is NOT placing a wager while on tribal land. So it is illegal.
In my state of NC, I can drive to the Cherokee Indians casino and place a sports bet….there. But I cannot wager on sports if I am not physically on the Cherokee property. Time will tell how FL will handle it, but obviously that’s a huge difference in terms of betting volume, revenue, etc. Replies:
