This past Wednesday, December 8, the Ohio state legislature passed a bill that would legalize retail and online betting on college, professional and esports. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has indicated he will sign the bill in the coming days. Regulatory Framework Under the bill, retail and online sports betting are governed by the Ohio Casinocontinue reading
DC Federal Court Invalidates Florida Sports Betting Compact
On Monday, November 22, a Washington, D.C. federal court vacated U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s approval of the 2021 Florida-Seminole Tribal Gaming Compact (the Compact), thereby invalidating the Compact in its entirety. Because the Compact has been invalidated, Florida’s Seminole Indian Tribe (the Tribe) no longer has the right to conduct retail and online sports betting in Florida, nor can it offer the in-person craps and roulette games that had also been authorized under the agreement. As we reported previously, the legal controversy surrounding the Compact arose primarily from the provision authorizing the Tribe to accept mobile sports wagers initiated by patrons located within the state of Florida but outside of tribal lands, by “deeming” wagering initiated outside of tribal lands to occur at the Seminole’s tribal gaming facilities. continue reading
Maryland Inches Towards Launch of Legalized Retail Sports Betting
On November 18, 2021, Maryland’s Sports Wagering Application Review Commission (SWARC) approved five casinos for sports wagering facility licenses allowing casinos partnered with third-party operators to provide retail sports betting. The licenses were awarded to the Hollywood Casino in Perryville (partnering with Barstool), the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore (Caesars), the Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover (FanDuel), the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill (BetMGM), and the Ocean Downs Casino in Berlin (TwinSpires). The Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Commission (Commission) expects to officially issue the licenses within 30-45 days, during which time it will conduct a detailed review of each licensee. John Martin, the Commission’s director, commented that with the approval of the licenses on November 18th, if “all goes well, that would mean a launch date somewhere around the first of the [new] year.” Larry Hogan, Maryland’s Governor reiterated the state’s commitment to issuing these licenses within this timeline, tweeting, “[o]ur administration will continue to work to get sports betting up and running in Maryland as quickly as possible.” continue reading
Florida’s Seminole Indian Tribe Launches Mobile Sports Betting Amidst Multiple Lawsuits
On November 1, 2021, mobile sports betting officially launched in Florida as the Seminole Indian Tribe (Tribe) unveiled its Hard Rock Sportsbook App and began to accept wagers on sporting events. Under the current law, the Tribe has exclusive control over sports betting in Florida, so the Hard Rock Sportsbook App is the only mobile sports betting app available for use there. continue reading