FHN Today: Sports Betting is Back in Florida

Sports betting is back in Florida.

The Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Sportsbook app has relaunched in the state of Florida, officially making sports betting available to Floridians.

The app is in an ‘Early Access’ stage where members of Hard Rock’s Unity program get priority to get access.

No further information regarding the early access stage has been made available from the tribe just yet after Tuesday’s surprise launch, but bettors can make deposits and look at odds.

It’s just that not all of them can place bets.

It is expected that the app will open with full functionality in the coming weeks.

PANTHERLAND

Nick Cousins scored another big-time goal for the Florida Panthers in a 5-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It was a game that really should not have been that close to begin with.

— Mike Reilly made his Panthers debut. Coach Paul Maurice spoke about why it took 10 games for him to crack the lineup.

— Maurice is not worried about the Panthers’ slow offensive start.

— FHN reviewed your hot takes in this month’s edition of the FHN Temp Check. Be sure to look out for next month’s submission at the end of November if you want to get in on the fun.

— Sam Bennett is “week-to-week” after suffering an injury in his season debut.

AROUND THE NHL

I launched a new weekly column on FHN called ‘Top Cheese,’ where I go over some of the most fun things happening in the NHL.

This week, I talked about a couple of ex-Panthers and some exciting defensemen.

— Jeremy Swayman had another big performance for the Boston Bruins on Monday.

— Brendan Gallagher’s bounce-back season has been a big storyline for the  Montreal Canadiens.

— Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin may not play against the New York Rangers tonight

— More details are starting to be revealed on a possible shoulder injury to New Jersey Devils star center Jack Hughes.

— Things aren’t looking pretty for the Edmonton Oilers.

— Frederick Andersen is out indefinitely with a blood clotting issue similar to the one that ended Miami Heat star Chris Bosh’s career.