Florida Lawmakers Introduce Bills to Broaden Gambling Ban

Florida legislature seek to expand the state’s gambling restrictions to include sweepstakes casinos, internet casino gaming, and online sports betting beyond the Seminole Tribe’s existing compact.

Representative Walter Barnaby filed HB953 on Monday, followed by Senator Corey Simon’s introduction of the companion bill, S1404, in the Senate on Wednesday. These bills propose broadening the prohibition to cover “internet gambling” and “internet sports wagering,” though the language used leaves room for interpretation. Some analysts believe this could indicate potential plans for the Seminole Tribe to enter the internet casino gaming market through Hard Rock, while others view the move as an attempt to eliminate sweepstakes casinos in the state.

Hard Rock’s Gaming Expansion and Regulatory Challenges

Hard Rock extended its gaming operations to include Class III casino gaming and mobile sports betting through a 30-year compact signed with Florida in May 2021, a deal valued at a minimum of $500 million annually. The agreement successfully withstood legal challenges at both state and federal levels, allowing Hard Rock to launch online sports betting in December 2023.

Both bills redefine “internet gambling” to specify:

…means to play or engage in any game in which money or other thing of value is awarded based on chance, regardless of any application of skill, that is available on the Internet and accessible on a mobile device, computer terminal, or other similar access device and simulates casino-style gaming, including, but not limited to, slot machines, video poker, and table games.

The phrase “simulates casino-style gaming” appears to be a direct response to sweepstakes casinos, which offer free-play casino games that can lead to monetary rewards.

Internet Sports Wagering Clarified

Unlike internet gambling, online sports betting is already active in Florida. The bills define “internet sports wagering” as:

…means to stake, bet, or wager any money or other thing of value upon the result of any trial or contest of skill, speed, power, or endurance of human or beast that is available on the Internet and accessible on a mobile device, computer terminal, or other similar access device.

Under the proposed measures, individuals who engage in internet gambling in Florida could face second-degree misdemeanor charges, though it would require two offenses to reach this threshold for internet sports betting. Meanwhile, operators, vendors, suppliers, and payment processors involved in online gambling or sports wagering outside the Seminole compact could be charged with third-degree felonies.

Potential Pathway for Hard Rock iGaming?

While the introduction of these bills follows a series of cease-and-desist orders sent by the Florida Gaming Control Commission to major offshore casino operators, some speculate that this legislative push could also set the stage for Hard Rock to expand into iGaming.

Initially, Florida’s gaming compact included language allowing negotiations for amendments to authorize online and mobile gaming for Seminole-operated platforms. Although this provision was removed, legislative opposition to such an expansion has since diminished, raising the possibility that discussions to legalize Hard Rock’s online casino gaming could resume.

Should Hard Rock gain approval for iGaming, Florida could become the largest market for internet casino gaming in the U.S., ing Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania among the states with the most significant online gaming industries.

Source:

‘’Florida legislature makes move that could result in sweepstakes ban, lay icasino groundwork’’, igamingbusiness.com, February 27, 2025.