Football season is here! Time for tailgating, making chili in the crockpot, wearing your favorite team jersey and spending hours on the couch with your closest family & friends. You might even take a house bet on which team scores the next touchdown. While small family games and bets are legal in the state of Florida, sports betting is still not. Due to the ongoing federal case between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe, Florida sports betting remains paused for 2022 both online and in-person.
Sports Betting In Florida – Our Lawyer Explains What Happened
There was a short five week period in November 2021 where sports betting was allowed. The reason it came to an abrupt pause was that the Seminole Tribe challenged the new compact alleging that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) had been violated. The 30-year compact gave the tribe control over Florida’s gambling realm, but the deal went beyond the limit of what was allowed under IGRA because it included online sports betting.
Types of Sports Betting
Currently, sports betting is legal in 32 states across the country. In various states, they may practice one or more of the following types of sports betting:
Single Game
These are the most common types of sports betting as bets are restricted to a single game. Betting can be done through moneylines, spreads or totals. The varying bets will determine if participants bet on a team or athlete to win the event outright (moneyline), if multiple sides or odds of the event can win (spread), or if the winner is decided by the final score or outcome being over/under the bets placed (totals).
Parlay
This particular betting practice usually has big rewards, but they are very difficult to win. A Parlay is multiple wagers in one bet. Each time you win a “leg” (an individual wager within the parlay) the winnings roll over to the next leg of the bet. Thus, leading to bets with high potential paydays.
Props
This style of betting is done in different formats, but the most common is player or team statistics during a particular game. These bets are not tied to final game scores.
For example, prop bets include who will score first in a game, the number of touchdowns for a quarterback, bowling strikes, soccer goals, etc.
Live
Live sports betting became immensely popular when online sports betting was introduced. These bets have sports fans on the edge of their seats as they are placed during the game. Prior to online sports betting, bets were limited to locations where participants submitted bets and all bets had to be submitted before initiation of each game. Now, in-progress sporting events are fair game for the novice or avid sports betters.
Futures
These bets are placed on upcoming games or events only. For example, predictions of who will be in the championships/playoffs, what scores will they have, MVPs of each game, etc. It’s most common to see these bets prior to the season, but they can be made all season long.
To read more on the different types of sports betting – read the full article on Forbes.
Sports Betting In Florida – Future Outlook
Florida will likely use the ballot initiative process for sports betting as it seems to be the most realistic path forward. Due to this long process, our lawyers believe the first legal bet in Florida likely won’t be made until 2025, or later.
Read more interesting facts about Florida law on our full blog index anytime!