New Gaming Compact Could Bring Online Poker To FloridaA Clause In The Agreement Stipulates The Seminole Tribe And The State Will Negotiate Terms For Online Gambling, Also Run By The Tribe |
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The new Florida gaming compact that will bring sports betting to Florida and allow the Seminole Tribe to expand the gaming options to include roulette and craps at its seven casinos could also bring online poker to the Sunshine State.
According to a report from the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the “miscellaneous section” of the agreement says that the state agreed to negotiate in “good faith” with the tribe to offer online offerings of all its live casino games.
Once the compact is approved by the legislature, and there are no indications that it won’t, the two parties will have three years to legalize online gambling. Of course that would include poker.
Online sports betting would already be allowed when the state’s sports betting market launches, which could be as early as this fall. The 30-year agreement allows the Seminole Tribe to act as a hub for the sports betting operation.
The clause gives legal cover against the anti-gambling groups that argue gambling expansion requires 60% support from Florida voters. Since a tribal entity would be running the operation, supporters of the compact argue that the vote isn’t necessary.
News broke about the new compact last week and if all the stars align, Florida could quickly become one of the country’s largest gaming markets.
Aside from the fact that the Seminole properties are already some of the most profitable casinos in the country, their Hard Rock Hollywood property just hosted the largest World Poker Tour event in history. There were 2,482 entries that turned out for the $3,500 main event. Adding online poker to the market run by the Seminoles could only add more satellite qualifiers to these fields.
It just reached the final table Tuesday evening with Sonny Franco leading the final six players. They will resume play on May 18th in Las Vegas to see who will claim the $1.26 million first place prize.
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