Sports Betting

Seminole Tribe, Hard Rock suspends sports betting in Florida

Published

3 years ago

December 4, 2021

Sports betting in the state of Florida lasted just over a month — at least for now — after the Seminole Tribe of Florida shut down its Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app on Saturday morning.

According to a statement on the app, the Hard Rock Sports book is “temporarily suspending operations” in Florida and will not be taking new bets, accounts or deposits.

The app will remain up and pending bets made before the suspension at 11 a.m. on Saturday will play out. Bets made on future events — such as Saturday’s slate of college football or the Florida Panthers game against the St. Louis Blues — will be voided out and refunds offered.

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Those who have money in their Hard Rock account will be able to withdraw their money immediately.

The Tribe’s decision to shut things down in Florida comes on the heels of another court ruling which went against the gaming pact the Seminoles signed with Gov. Ron DeSantis back in the spring.

On Friday, an appellate court in Washington, D.C., declined to grant the Tribe a stay in a previous ruling on Nov. 22 which ruled the 30-year deal with the State of Florida was invalid and sports betting in the state was not allowed.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida shut down its Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile application on Saturday morning.

The ruling stated that the U.S. Department of the Interior was wrong in allowing the deal to go through and expanding Tribal gambling in the state — especially the mobile-based sports book in which servers were on Tribal land — violated the current law.

With the appeal in place, the Hard Rock Sportsbook continued accepting accounts, deposits and wagers.