TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Sports betting has returned to Florida, but only for some bettors.
On Tuesday, the Seminole Tribe officially relaunched its sports betting app in Florida despite two ongoing court cases that challenge it.
Seminole spokesperson Gary Bitner confirmed in a statement to WFLA that the tribe is “offering limited access to existing Florida customers to test its Hard Rock Bet platform.” The statement, however, did not elaborate on how many customers have access to the app or what the limitations are.
Hard Rock Bet posted on social media that early access to Hard Rock Bet is now live in the Sunshine State. Those who have previously bet with Hard Rock in Florida, including qualifying Hard Rock loyalty members, can bet now.
The return of the mobile betting app comes a week after the tribe announced in-person sports betting will return to the tribe’s three Florida casinos starting in December. In a press release, the tribe announced craps and roulette will also go live in addition to sports betting.
In-person betting is expected to go live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood and Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on Thursday, Dec. 7. The new games will come to Hard Rock in Tampa on Friday, Dec. 8, and go live at Seminole Immokalee and Seminole Brighton casinos on Monday, Dec. 11.
“This is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league with the world’s great gaming destinations,” Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International, said of the decision.
This announcement also comes after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt to block a $2.5 billion deal between the tribe and the state, which would allow sports betting in Florida.
The deal, also known as the Compact, allowed people across the state to place bets using their mobile devices as long as the site or app handling the transactions was hosted by computer servers on tribal land.
The tribe previously launched the sports betting app back in 2021, but stopped accepting wagers after a court ruling blocked the deal.
