The legal battle over the Seminole tribe’s exclusivity to online sports betting in Florida appears to finally be coming to an end. After a long back and forth that included appeals to the state’s highest court and the U.S. Supreme Court, the tribe reached a deal on Monday with racetrack and poker room operators involved in the legal efforts.
The agreement with West Flagler Associates, Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., Southwest Florida Enterprises, Inc., and Isadore Havenick means the legal dispute will come to an end. As part of that, the Seminoles will cooperate to offer wagering on the sport of jai alai on the Hard Rock Bet mobile app.
“This is truly a win-win agreement for the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler,” Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen said in a news release. “This agreement establishes a relationship of collaboration among the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler in the State of Florida. Rather than engaging in years of additional litigation, this agreement will allow the parties to work together to promote jai alai, which has played an important role in Florida’s gaming landscape for nearly 100 years.”
The sports betting monopoly was awarded to the Seminoles after the tribe signed a new 30-year compact with the state in 2021. The $20 billion agreement includes $500 million in annual payments to the state over the first five years.
The tribe has been operating live and online wagering since December and the compact also allowed for the group’s casinos in the state to offer craps and roulette.
Plaintiffs in the case had argued that the compact approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis violated federal and state laws, but the agreement now brings an end to the litigation. West Flagler operates the World Jai Alai League and the deal gives the league a boost as bettors continue to embrace mobile sports betting in the state.
The Havenick family, which formerly owned the Magic City Casino in Miami, was pleased to see the litigation conclude.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Seminole Tribe in support of their gaming operations in Florida and to promote Jai Alai, which has been a critical component of Florida’s gaming industry since the 1920s,” the family noted. “We are proud that Jai Alai will be featured on the Hard Rock Bet app and we look forward to developing a strong partnership with the Seminole Tribe.”
Jai Alai is a sport that involves bouncing a ball (pelota) off a wall and catching and throwing it in a hand-held wicker basket (cesta). The game has been referred to as “the fastest sport in the world” because the ball can reach speeds of 200 mph. As a result, players have suffered numerous injuries and even death on the court.
Florida’s first Jai Alai fronton opened in Miami in 1924, hosting crowds as big as 15,000 people. At the peak of the sports’ popularity there were 10 different frontons throughout the state, but today there are only two.
Although frontons used to also be located in Connecticut and Rhode Island, they have since closed. The game is still played in the Philippines, Spain, and France.