Seminole Tribe ramps up lobbying campaign despite Florida betting suspension
“Watch Out Florida” ads debut in Sunshine State amid aggressive lobbying lawsuit and Hard Rock Digital suspension
The Seminole Tribe has increased its lobbying campaign to end out-of-state operator-backed rival legislatory initiatives despite facing litigation wars on two separate fronts.
The tribe, acting through the ‘Standing Up for Florida’ campaign, has released two new advertising spots on social media dubbed ‘Watch Out Florida’, advertisements which target senior voters and college age students.
The advertisements warn of ‘outsiders’ who seek to make Florida the new Las Vegas while also funneling taxable gambling revenue out of state, calling on citizens to accept the “popular law” that puts state residents in control of gambling.
The self-styled ‘popular law’ refers to the recent 30-year sports betting compact, which was sensationally ripped up last month by US district court judges on the grounds it violated several laws including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
In the period since, the tribe has filed several appeals against the decision, including two successive motions to stay the decision pending the hearing of its appeal, claims which have all been turned down by the courts.
Earlier this week, the Seminole Tribe seemingly admitted defeat in its efforts, ordering a temporary shutdown of the Hard Rock Digital sportsbook in compliance with the court’s decision.
Despite this shutdown, efforts to preserve its sports betting monopoly have continued, switching to these legislative initiatives.
At the same time, the Seminole Tribe is facing a second legal wrangle following a lawsuit by Las Vegas Sands (LVS), which backs the rival ‘Florida Voters In Charge’ sports betting expansion lobbying initiative.
LVS is suing the tribe, alleging ‘tortious interference with business relationships’, through its campaign.
The LVS suit highlights three specific examples of alleged payoffs being offered by representatives for the Seminole Tribe, in exchange for petitionee recruitment and encouragement for lobbying firms to switch allegiances to the Seminole campaign.
Opposing ads for Florida Education Champions, which is backed by DraftKings and FanDuel, signposts Floridians to petitions simply by speaking into TV remotes or by scanning a QR code.
The lobbying initiative trio must obtain signatures from 891,589 Florida voters by the end of 2021 to be included on a November 2022 ballot and would require a 60% vote to pass, something which is reportedly extremely unlikely.