US Supreme Court to hear Florida sports betting case on June 13
Nine justices will decide whether case merits further hearing with West Flager challenging Seminole Tribe’s monopoly of Sunshine State
The US Supreme Court will discuss the Florida sports betting case on June 13, with a potential decision arriving before the end of the month.
Should the nine justices decide to pursue the case further, a decision could potentially be announced on either 17 or 24 June according to gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, during the week, Wallach said both dates are likely and that the court has three options; deny writ of certiorari, grant writ of certiorari with arguments to be made later this year or early next, or a summary reversal which would ban sports betting in Florida immediately.
Wallach added that denial is the most likely outcome at a 95% chance, but that a summary reversal would not be surprising.
Four out of the nine justices are needed to decide the case merits further hearing, while all nine will need to agree for a summary reversal.
In his posts, Wallach highlighted Justice Kavanaugh’s previous statement that “if the compact ‘authorized’ off-reservation tribal gaming, then it likely violates IGRA.”
Last week saw West Flagler file a response in the ongoing Florida sports betting battle, arguing the Seminole Tribe’s Florida gaming compact violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
There was no submitted brief reply from the tribe to West Flagler.
It came a week after the Department of the Interior backed the Seminole Tribe’s request for the Supreme Court to deny any rival writ of certiorari.
The initial compact was approved in 2021 by Governor Ron DeSantis. This allowed Seminoles a monopoly in Florida, through its Hard Rock Digital brand.