(a) 'Drawing by chance,' 'drawing,' or 'raffle' means an enterprise in which, from the entries submitted by the public to the organization conducting the drawing, one or more entries are selected by chance to win a prize. The term 'drawing' does not include those enterprises, commonly known.
Despite Florida's huge gambling market, customers are limited to just seven tribal casinos and various horse tracks and (now-defunct) dog tracks that operate as card rooms.
God of casino. In fact, this latter aspect of the FL gambling industry has caused the state to be in violation of its exclusivity compact with the Seminole Tribe, who had a favorable ruling in federal court that annulled their casino profit-sharing obligations. This has cost the state over $400 million per year since 2019, when the tribe stopped paying. Since then, all expanded gambling measures in FL have hinged on the renewal of that Seminole compact.
- The short answer is, yes – there is legal sportsbook gambling available to Florida residents. There are no Florida state laws and no US federal laws that make it a crime to bet on sports in the USA as long as the destination at which you placing your wagers is legally licensed and regulated.
- Florida on gambling and lotteries can regulate, and in some instances prohibit, certain activities such as casino gaming, horse racing, and dog racing. There was a time when city planners in Miami planned to tear down their Art Deco buildings and build casinos. That didn't happen and later laws on where gambling can take place were passed.
Fortunately, as a bettor or gambler in FL, you don't have to be stuck in the middle while the state government is a stick in the mud. That's because you are free to legally gamble anytime – in any market – by visiting legal Florida online casinos.
Whether you're a casino player, sports betting fan, or poker player, if you're looking for high-quality and safe gaming experience, you can get one by visiting any legitimate Florida online gambling site a shot. However, before you consider participating in Internet gambling, we suggest you review the information concerning Florida online gambling laws.
Below, we address the details of Florida betting law as it pertains to both brick-and-mortar and online gambling. To learn more about all FL laws concerning casinos, sportsbooks, and poker rooms, our short guide has everything under the sun for residents of the Sunshine State.
New Gambling Laws In Florida
Other Florida Gambling Pages
Where Does Florida Stand On Legal Online Casino Gambling?
Florida has recently banned 'Internet cafes' that were operating as unregulated online casinos, though the state's view towards online gaming in general doesn't appear to be antagonistic.
However, there are significant hurdles due to the fact that FL casino gambling is the exclusive domain of the Seminole and Miccosukee tribal nations. This means that the state cannot unilaterally expand gambling online without the tribes' involvement and approval. Talks are ongoing, but they are moving at a snail's pace.
In the meantime, it is legal for FL residents to gamble online at legitimate offshore casinos. These venues operate outside of US jurisdiction, and there are no FL gambling laws or federal gambling laws that bar access to these destinations. Over an estimated one million FL gamblers already use these sites and have been members at them for over a generation.
Naturally, FL would like to put itself in a position to bring some of these customers back into the domestic gaming fold, but no iGaming legislation has made its way through the state congress to date.
That said, the state does appear to be moving towards allowing tribal brick-and-mortar casinos to offer the two casino games they're currently unable to provide: craps and roulette. While the 2020 legislative session concluded without any such gambling legislation being passed, there is enough momentum that the issue is likely to be revisited in 2021.
Where Does Florida Stand On Legal Online Sports Betting?
Bookmaking is a serious offense under Florida law. However, you're a sports bettor, not a bookie, and there are no laws barring individual FL residents from betting on sports online provided they use a legitimately licensed offshore operator.
To reiterate: The existing laws surrounding sports betting in FL target bookmakers and not players, and they address unregulated gaming operators specifically.
Legally licensed and regulated online sports betting is not prohibited as long as those operators are based internationally outside of US jurisdiction. Fortunately, there are several high quality, safe, and legitimate Florida online sportsbooks to choose from.
As for when Florida will make domestic sports betting legal so that operators in the state can offer betting lines on all the most popular college and pro teams in the region, that remains to be seen.
Legal Gambling In Florida
Right now, the Seminole Tribe of Florida is exercising its leverage with exclusive gaming rights to prevent commercial sportsbooks from operating in the region. To make any progress on the domestic sports gambling front, the state will likely have to give sports betting exclusivity to the Seminole. And even then, it's unclear whether or not that would include online sports betting.
Where Does Florida Stand On Legal Online Poker?
Online poker is becoming increasingly popular in FL. The Sunshine State does not specifically prohibit online poker at the individual level, but there are laws against online poker operators that are based in the state. Recently, there have been attempts to legalize online poker in FL, though this has gotten nowhere.
In fact, when the state approved non-house-banked poker at non-tribal FL venues, it violated the Seminole Tribe's exclusivity compact, and fixing this is now the biggest gambling issue before the FL legislature. Online poker won't be addressed until long after this issue is resolved.
Gambling Laws In Florida
Meanwhile, there are a number of legal Florida online poker rooms which operate and are regulated outside of the United States. As long as you're at least 18 and live in FL, you can use these online poker rooms to play for and win real money.
We do stress that being selective in choosing the brands to which you will bring your business is paramount in accessing a safe and secure online gambling experience, which is why you need to read our above-linked Florida online poker guide.
Florida Gambling Laws
There are a number of Florida gambling laws to be aware of, but the long and short of it is that the following markets are currently legal in a domestic operator capacity:
- Tribal casino gaming (21+ Class III, 18+ Class II)
- Horse racing betting (18+)
- Greyhound betting (18+, expires Dec. 31, 2020)
- Jai Alai betting (18+)
- Cardroom poker (age limit varies)
- State lottery (18+)
- Charitable gambling (18+)
If you sign up with an online operator that is based overseas and is regulated and certified to offer gambling opportunities to FL players, you can enjoy all the following markets over the Internet legally and safely:
- Casino gambling (18+)
- Sports betting (18+)
- Online poker (18+)
- Horse racing betting (18+)
- Greyhound racing (18+)
- Online lotteries (18+)
In addition to FL gambling laws, there are two federal gambling laws to be aware of. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) places stringent regulatory oversight on how online gambling-related transactions are processed, which is why we recommend Bitcoin gambling for deposits and withdrawals when playing offshore (as the UIGEA can lead to credit/debit card rejections).
There is also the Federal Wire Act to consider, though this applies only to sports betting and prevents FL residents from having their sports bets accepted by sportsbooks in other states.
Neither law prohibits online gambling for FL residents at operators based outside of the United States, so as long as you are playing at an online casino, sportsbook, poker room, racebook, or bingo hall that is legally licensed in its own home country, you are in the clear.
FL Gambling Law Guide Summary
The online gambling professionals who created this guide consider it critical that FL players have access to accurate and up-to-date information regarding the online gambling laws in Florida.
Throughout this guide, we only recommend gambling brands which are legally licensed, certified, and regulated by respected and legitimate governing jurisdictions. This is true for the online casinos, Florida online bingo halls, and the poker rooms and sports betting sites we list in this guide.
To review the official gambling laws for Florida in their original language, you'll want to visit the Florida State Legislature website, which provides these laws and statutes in their entirety. That source does not provide any legal interpretation of the laws, however. If legal FL gambling advice is what you're looking for, then contacting an attorney is your best option.
***The information on this page is intended to reflect our educated opinions and analyses based on personal experience as industry professionals. It is not intended in any way to serve as legal advice. We are not lawyers and are not qualified to provide professional legal advice in any capacity.
There have been big changes with regards to gambling regulation in the USA since 2018, when the Supreme Court invalidated a law that had banned sports betting in most states. A number of states have since then legalized and regulated sports betting, at land-based locations and online, and quite a few others, including Florida, are exploring the feasibility of doing so.
A Brief Overview of Gambling in Florida
Gambling has been around in Florida since the time of the Great Depression in 1932. It generates annual revenue of about $2 billion, though that number took a big hit in 2019, falling steeply to $574.65 million. There are 2 commercial casinos, 25 racinos and 8 tribal casinos. The official body responsible for regulating casino gambling in Florida is the Florida Division of Consumer Services.
Legalized gambling avenues in the state of Florida include pari-mutuel betting, a state lottery that ranks 3rd nationally, land-based casino gaming, poker rooms, social gambling and cruise ship gambling. Section 849.08 of state laws doesn't allow hosting of online casinos. The next section sheds more light on this.
Online Gambling in Florida
The operation of online gambling websites has been deemed illegal in Florida, but there is no law prohibiting people from playing at the online casinos run by overseas operators. And there are quite a few of these around; a number of them have accepted US players despite the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.
One of the strongest advocates of a continued ban on online casino gambling in Florida is Ricky Scott, the Governor of the State. To many it may come as a surprise, given that one of the biggest supporters and donors of the governor is billionaire businessman Sheldon Adelson.
Dig a little and one of the reasons for the governor's dislike of online casinos becomes clear – Sheldon Adelson is a big player in the land-based casino establishment and Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which owns a number of reputed casino establishments.
The Need to Regulate Online Gambling Regulation is Right for Florida
Regulating online gambling has always been a better option in the long run than banning it, and this applies to the situation in Florida too. Here are a few reasons why it would be good for Florida.
Prevent the Mushrooming of Illegal Online Gambling Websites
One of the most important issues that regulation addresses is the emergence of illegal online gambling sites. And this is not just theoretical assumption: back in 2018 this was actually an issue that the administration in Jacksonville faced. There were hundreds of internet cafes springing up in strip malls there – many of them operating as adult arcades – of which only 90 had obtained appropriate licensing.
There have been other issues as well: in 2013 the FBI raided 49 internet cafes that were run by a charity based out of St. Augustine, Allied Veterans of the World. The allegations by state prosecutors were serious – they said these cafes functioned as fronts for money laundering and illegal gambling.
Make Swift, Secure and Easy Payments
Gambling In Florida Law
One of the biggest problems that regulating online casino gambling in Florida would solve is giving you access to multiple secure and reliable payment methods. Depositing money from your bank account directly into your casino account can be tricky currently, given the situation related to gambling regulation here.
The way out would right now is to find an online casino that accepts cryptocurrency or credit cards, or use any of the limited e-wallets that the casinos accept. Regulation would change all this and ensure you are able to make payments swiftly. Until this happens, you can keep playing at US online casinos that miraculously are still able to take deposits and payout winnings!
Access Casinos Powered by the Best Vendors
The overall online gambling landscape in the country is changing and this is reflected by the number of casino software vendors who are slowly making their way back again to the US. This is a major change compared to earlier times when only a few vendors like Real Time Gaming (RTG), Scientific Games and BetSoft Gaming catered to US players.
Big names that are slowly making their way back to the US market include, among others, NetEnt, Playtech, Play ‘N Go and others. A direct impact of more vendors entering the Florida market will be on the number of games available to players. Currently, the casinos you get to play offer about 300 games at the most – that is the maximum number of games from RTG and the other vendors around.
Once the remaining vendors enter the Florida market subsequent to the regulation of gambling, they will be able to access all those multivendor casinos with 1000+ games that use white label gaming platforms to give you the best games from multiple vendors at one location.
Get Easy Access to Online and Mobile Sports Betting
Currently, Florida doesn't allow online and mobile sports betting along with online casino gambling. The only exceptions when it comes to sports betting are Jai Alai betting and gambling on cruise ships. There have been numerous attempts over the years to legalize sports betting in Florida, the latest happening in 2019 with the introduction of the SB 968 bill. Planet 7 casino mobile login.
The same is the story with online and mobile casinos as well, as mentioned earlier. We need to add here that while online and mobile casino gambling and sports betting are illegal in the state currently, players do have the option of signing up with sites run by overseas operators. That is a good option to have, but it comes with its own risks.
Banning is not the Solution
One thing is clear: the smart thing to do is legalize and regulate, not ban, online gambling in Florida. The advantages are numerous and the disadvantages nominal. All the casinos will of course need to follow the stringent guidelines laid down regarding responsible gambling and privacy policy.
As of now, all we can do is wait and hope that the regulation process takes off smoothly and is accomplished at the earliest – say by the end of 2020 or early 2021.
