This Monday, the Seminole Tribe dismissed the Hail Mary of sports betting. The initiative was backed by FanDuel and DraftKings from out-of-state corporations.
The betting giants are currently bankrolling a petition regarding legalizing sports wagering through a state constitutional amendment. This initiative required 891,598 signatures from registered voters of the state to be placed on the ballot in 2022.
In return, the Seminole tribe will share $500 million per year as the minimum share with the state. This will keep increasing in proportion with the profits. This is, so far, the biggest casino revenue deal in the history of the US. However, this is presently waiting for sign-off by the United States Department of the interior.
Legal Enigma
The Governor’s office said that the deal isn’t about legalizing sports betting in Florida. The people of Florida are already legally betting and wagering online through the Seminole servers based on sovereign territories.
In 2018, the voters passed a constitutional amendment, amendment 3, wherein it requires voters’ approval for all proposed expansion of casino gambling in the state. Then, the amendment was supported by Seminole, who believed that it would protect their monopoly.
Apparently, the anti-gambling campaigners will now use this amendment against the Seminole tribe. Their key question will be about the place where the online bets are taking place.
As mentioned in Amendment 3, the Governor’s office has questioned the similarities between sports betting and casino gambling.
Keeping best at heart, DraftKing and FanDuel are reportedly hoping that voters of Florida will debate on facts regarding legalizing sports betting at the ballot box. They are of the opinion that this time Seminole will be losing against the voters.
Education Champions’
The newly drafted campaign committee, Florida Education Champions (FEC), will lead the initiative. They aim to collect substantial revenue from legalized sports betting and forward it to the state’s public education system.
