Can you Legally Gamble Online in Florida.
Gambling within the US is growing at an extremely fast rate. Since it was legalized, there has been a glut of different states that are starting to allow players the opportunity to gamble in different ways. However, one sticking point, is that each state has different ideas of how to legalize gambling. In Florida, there are a lot of different grey areas that makes it a complex subject. We’ve taken a close look at the gambling laws that are in place within Florida.
Gambling Online
If you want to gamble online in Florida, you will be happy to know that you can do this in any way you like. However, if you want to gamble online like in Canada, then it’s a slightly different story. Basically, players can legally gamble at online sportsbooks in Florida, but they’re not legally allowed to gamble online at a casino.
This is because the negotiations with the tribes that operate casinos within Florida have not gone well. As such, legislation has been passed to make sports betting legal online, but at this moment in time, online casinos are not legally allowed.
It was originally expected that online sports betting would only be allowed when on tribal casino property, but this was found to be logistically impossible. As such, sports betting can be carried out from anywhere within the state.
Online Casinos
Online casinos are obviously one of the most popular ways for players to gamble online. However, as they are legally prohibited within Florida it does provide something of a problem for players. However, there are some ways around this issue.
Players do have the ability to play at offshore online casinos within Florida. This isn’t legal, and it does carry a higher level of risk than would normally be in place, but it does mean that players have the option to do so if they like. While it’s not legal to do this, prosecution is very unlikely, so players don’t have to worry about being fined for playing at an offshore casino.
The decision not to allow online casinos, is almost certainly a short sighted one. Players enjoy online gambling to such an extent, that they are willing to take the risk involved with playing at an online casino. However, it is doubtlessly impacting on both the state of Florida and the land-based casinos.
If online casino play had been allowed within the state, then it would have generated a significant amount of additional tax revenue. This could have been used for a wide variety of different infrastructure projects which would have benefitted the state. It’s not just the higher level of facilities that would provide help, but the fact that the additional employment the projects would create, would stimulate the economy.
The casinos also lose out, because players will seek out online casinos that will accept their custom. This means that it is revenue that they are missing out on by choosing not to offer online casinos.
Future
It’s not likely to change much in the future in terms of what’s offered. The recent legislation hasn’t been passed long, so changes are unlikely at this point in time. However, if the tribes feel that it’s to their benefit, then it’s likely that they would decide to change how things work.
It would obviously have a positive impact on players as they will have the opportunity to play at more reliable and trustworthy casinos. So, it remains to be seen.
