Gambling online in the Sunshine State in 2022

The Sunshine State of Florida. One of the largest, prettiest, most popular places in the whole of United States. Number one location if you fancy beautiful beaches, mesmerizing scenery, and lively atmosphere. On the other hand, if you enjoy spending your free time playing online casino games, you better find another perfect getaway. Bearing in mind how open Florida is towards tourism, it is becoming rather unclear why this state doesn’t open up to one of the fastest developing industries in the world- iGaming.

Current iGaming Situation

Almost two decades ago, land-based gambling became legal in Florida, but the road to permitting online gambling seems to be much rockier…So, the deal is: you can gamble in brick and mortar establishments, but there are no solid indications that gamblers will be allowed to do the same thing online, any time soon.

Interestingly, horse racing is the only activity related to sportsbetting that you can bet on, while greyhound got the red light two years ago when concerns about the treatments of the dogs started to grow; in 2020, betting on dogs become illegal.

Virtual casinos which offer standard packs of the most popular games such as slots, online blackjack , poker, and roulette, are still a huge NO in the state of Florida. This is very disappointing, especially when we take into matter that even the strictest US states are slowly getting involved in the process of online gambling legalization.

If the iGaming industry needs to point its finger at someone, it would be Florida’s Former Governor Rick Scott, who promoted severe anti-gambling policy. The ex-governors explanation on the subject was simple; Florida is already a touristic epicenter of the United States, with lots to offer. Online gambling would be an unnecessary part of the Sunshine State’s portfolio.

A small ray of light… hit Florida in the end of 2020, when the State signed the sportsbetting deal with the Seminole Tribe. Online gambling was legal for 22 days, before a federal judge out ruled this plan with an explanation that its violating Florida’s state constitution and federal Indian Gambling law. The legalization process stopped.

Indistinct Online Gambling Future of the Sunshine State

It’s gonna be rather difficult for Florida to hide from the bright future of online casinos. While the rest of the US states are slowly, one after another, opening up to this modern way of entertainment, the Sunshine State is still trying to find a way how to dodge this ball. The future of online gambling in Florida is unclear. Gamblers did get that spark of hope a couple of months ago, but that hope turned into despair just 22 days later. Since that 2018 amendment ruled that gambling bills couldn’t even be proposed for some time, we don’t expect changes in the relationship between Florida and online casinos, any time soon.

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