Online Sports Betting in Florida
Published: | Updated:Welcome to safe and legal betting in Florida! The Sunshine State is known for its warm climate and sunny beaches. Home to some of the world’s most epic theme parks, Floridians genuinely know how to have fun.
Unfortunately, legal betting is not available yet in Florida. Although Hard Rock had a short run of legal betting in 2021, the state removed regulated betting after just a few weeks. The Seminole Tribe, who runs Hard Rock, had exclusivity in offering sports betting in the Sunshine State.
However, the Seminole tribe has now been taken to Federal Court for lawsuits. This is because one federal judge believes that this exclusivity isn’t legal. The judge argues that the Seminole Tribe operates statewide with mobile bets instead of only on their Seminole land. The judge also asks wheater the Seminole data servers must be placed on the land for the bet to be legal or if the bettor has to be located on the Seminole land.
The lawsuits caused Hard Rock to stop its betting operations in Florida until it’s been solved in Federal Court. As of 2022, legal betting is still unavailable in Florida as the case is pending.
Popular sports in Florida
The Sunshine State is a golfer’s paradise, with its warm weather and flat surfaces. Thanks to this, many professional golf tournaments are held in Florida, including the Players Championship and the Honda Classic.
Having warm weather all year round and hundreds of miles of beaches also results in many water sports. It’s common to see surfers along the coast and boats and jet skis along the shores. Fishing is also popular in Florida, where you can explore the Gulf of Mexico or one of Florida’s many lakes and rivers.
With 21 million Floridians, Florida is the third largest state by population, after California (38 million) and Texas (28 million). This means that their sports communities are of a substantial size.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a popular NFL choice to follow in Florida. When it comes to the NBA, The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic have the most significant communities. In the MLB, we see the state represented by Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays.
College Sports in Florida
The Sunshine State also is a host to dozens of collegiate programs, with more than a few notable ones at the Division 1 level. The most prominent Florida schools, from an athletic standpoint, are the following:
- The University of Florida (Gators)
- The Florida Atlantic (Owls)
- The Florida State (Seminoles)
- The University of Miami (Hurricanes)
- The South Florida (Bulls)
- The University of Central Florida (Knights)
There are other schools that play at a high level across the Florida collegiate landscape, but the ones listed are perhaps the most notable.
Notable Florida Athletes:
This list is comprised of both athletes who grew up in the state of Florida as well as athletes who ply their trade here. In order to differentiate them, they will be broken up into two different listings:
Floridian Athletes:
- Deion Sanders (Hall of Fame NFL defensive back)
- Cris Collinsworth (NFL star and 16-time Sports Emmy Award winner)
- Doris Hart (Career Grand Slam Winner on the WTA Tour)
- Steve Carlton (4-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher in the MLB)
- Chris Evert (18-time Grand Slam Champion in the WTA)
- Emmitt Smith (Hall of Fame running back who is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher)
- David “Deacon” Jones (Hall of Fame defensive end in the NFL who coined the term “sack”)
- Rowdy Gaines (three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming)
Athletes who play/played for Florida Teams:
- Dwyane Wade (Future Hall of Fame NBA shooting guard for the Miami Heat)
- Alonzo Mourning (Hall of Fame NBA forward for the Miami Heat)
- LeBron James (Future Hall of Fame NBA forward who won two titles in four years with the Miami Heat)
- Ray Lewis (Hall of Fame linebacker who starred at the University of Miami)*
- Ed Reed (Hall of Fame safety who starred at the University of Miami)*
- Scott Mellanby (Longtime NHL player who was known for his time with the Florida Panthers)
- Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers captain)
- Jimmy Butler (Shooting guard for the Miami Heat)
- Sandy Alcantara (star pitcher for the Miami Marlins)
- Jaylen Waddle (star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins)
- Tyreek Hill (star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins)
*The University of Miami has so many famous athletes you could create a separate page just for them*
Bet on sports in Florida
No legal betting sites are currently available in Florida. We highly advise against betting on any sites available in Florida, as these sites are not safe and legal. A legal site requires you to use a geolocation program to verify that you are in a legal state, which Florida is not. By playing on an illegal site, your personal and financial information may be used or sold to third parties. Your winnings may not be paid out, and there will be no consumer protection from the state. We highly advise only playing on legal and regulated sites for your safety.
By playing legally, tax revenues will directly go to the state communities to support education, infrastructure, and much more. If you are over 21 years old and can travel from Florida to place a sports bet, these are the closest legal states:
Georgia: Not legal with mobile or in-person betting yet.
Alabama: Not legal with mobile or in-person betting yet.
South Carolina: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is not legal yet.
Mississippi: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is not legal yet.
North Carolina: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is not legal yet.
Louisiana: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is also permitted.
Tennessee: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is also legal.
Arkansas: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is also legal.
Responsible gambling in FL
If you are based in Florida and your gambling is out of control, you can call the National Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-522-4700. The call is anonymous, and the phone hotline is available 24/7/365. You can also text the number 1-800-522-4700 or enter the website chat here. Help is never too late to get from NCPG, even if you have played at an illegal site.
Want to learn more about online casinos and sports gambling? Follow our Online Gamblers Academy to learn how to have fun responsibly!
Legal betting by mobile or in-person is not available in Florida. Whether or not it’s legal is still pending as The Seminole Tribe is appealing in federal court.
We highly advise against betting on any sites available in Florida, as these sites are not safe and legal. There is currently no legal betting available in Florida. If you want to place a bet legally, you will be required to cross state lines.
No, there are no legal betting sites available in Florida. We highly advise against betting with any currently available betting sites in Florida, as these are not licensed and legal in the state.
