The latest legal saga means it could be months before online sports betting returns to Florida, if it even does.
Tuesday, West Flagler Associates, the group that owns the Bonita Springs Poker Room, sued the Seminole Tribe of Florida in state court.
WFA argues the tribe’s online sports book is unconstitutional.
Daniel Wallach, a Florida attorney who specializes in Sports Gambling, says the latest move “essentially puts sports betting on the sidelines until, at least, December.”
West Flagler already lost to the Seminole Tribe in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The group is now petitioning the US Supreme Court to take up the case.
While there’s no guarantee that either the state or federal courts will take up the case, Wallach believes one of them is likely to go West Flagler’s direction.
“There’s a better argument in Federal Court, a better chance for success in the state court. But West Flagler only needs to win one of these cases. If they win one of these cases that puts an end to sports betting for the foreseeable future,” Wallach said.
Under the state compact, the Seminole Tribe has exclusive rights to operate sports gambling in Florida for the next 30 years.
