Guide to the Best Florida Online Casinos

Best Real Money Online Casinos in Florida

• Bovada  – Best Gambling Site Available in Florida
• DuckyLuck Casino  – Best Casino for Floridians
• BetUS  – Best Sports Betting Site for Florida
• Ignition Casino  – Best FL Poker Site
• SlotsandCasino  – Best Slots Site for FL Players
• Cafe Casino  – Best Crypto Site Available in Florida
• EveryGame  – Best Mobile Gambling Site for Florida Residents
• MyBookie  – Best FL Accessible Live Dealer Site

Comparing the Top Gambling Sites for FL Residents

How We Select Florida Online Gambling Sites

We rate and review hundreds of gambling sites to find the ones that are demonstrably the best. To help us remain objective, we created our signature B.E.S.T. system for rating gambling sites.

There are specific criteria that we look for in each of the following categories.

Bonuses

Entertainment

Safety

Transactions

• Bonuses – We look for sites with a variety of bonus offers for both new and existing customers. We also compare the rollover requirements, match percentages, and maximum bonus amounts to find the most valuable bonuses.
• Entertainment Features – The entertainment category includes different criteria based on the types of gambling the site offers. For example, we look for casinos with multiple software providers and game categories, or sportsbooks with specific betting features and a variety of betting markets.
• Safety and Security – Safety is the most heavily weighted category in the B.E.S.T. system. We look at multiple factors that protect your personal and financial information, such as licensing, privacy policies, and encryption techniques.
• Transactions – Funding your account and collecting your winnings should be easy and efficient. That’s why we rate factors like the variety of banking methods, transaction limits, fees, and quick processing times.

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Legal State of Florida Gambling

There are many forms of gambling that are legal and available in Florida. You can gamble in person at tribal casinos or racinos.

Online gambling in Florida is currently available through offshore casinos, and the Seminole tribe is working toward launching online and mobile sports betting. Residents of the Sunshine State can also enjoy lottery and bingo halls.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Florida?

Florida does not have any laws specifically related to online gambling, and the state cannot pass new casino laws without voting through a statewide election. There are no state-regulated gambling sites, but offshore sites are available for residents. Many offshore sites, like BetUS, Bovada, and Lupin Casino are licensed in other countries, so you can safely use them to gamble online.

The state did add online sports betting to its compact with the Seminole tribe in April 2021, but legal proceedings have delayed the official launch. To understand the lawsuit, you have to understand the process for getting the compact approved at the federal level.

In June 2021, the Seminole Tribe submitted the new compact to the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland. She was responsible for reviewing the compact to ensure it didn’t violate the terms of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). Sec. Haaland did not act on the compact within 45 days, so the compact automatically went into effect on August 11, 2021.

West Flagler Associates, a partnership representing some of Florida’s commercial racinos, including Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Poker Room, sued Sec. Haaland. According to their lawsuit, Sec. Haaland violated the IGRA by not acting on the compact before time ran out. The plaintiffs believed that Sec. Haaland should have rejected the compact because it authorized gambling outside tribal lands. A circuit court ruled in favor of the commercial racinos(1), and Hard Rock was forced to shut down its betting app in December 2021.

However, the Seminole Tribe appealed the court’s decision. On June 30, 2023, the Court of Appeals(2) reversed the Circuit Court’s decision. The Court of Appeals pointed out that the IGRA gave Sec. Haaland the option of not acting on the compact.

They also pointed out that the IGRA gives states the right to create their own agreements with tribal leaders. In this case, the state agrees that as long as the server is located on tribal lands, the tribe can offer sports betting to residents throughout the state.

The ruling by the Court of Appeals means that sports betting is once again legal in Florida, but the ruling won’t become official until August 21st, 2023. West Flagler Associates has until then to decide how to proceed. They could file an appeal with the US Supreme Court, or they could file a suit within the state’s court system instead.

Tribal Gambling Compacts in Florida

The Seminole Tribe is no stranger to court rulings considering gambling. In the 1970s, the tribe built the country’s first high-stakes bingo hall. Broward County Sheriff Robert Butterworth informed the tribe that he would arrest participants for violating the Florida Bingo Statute.

The tribe then sued Sheriff Butterworth for violating jurisdictional and regulatory relations(3). A district court and court of appeals both ruled in favor of the Seminole Tribe. This case set a legal precedent that was used in California vs. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, which led to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

After the IGRA went into effect, the Seminole Tribe requested the state negotiate to create a Class III gaming compact. Governor Lawton Chiles refused to negotiate with the tribe. The tribe sued the state, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1996, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not override state sovereignty, so the tribe did not have a right to sue the state(4).

Between 1996 and 2010, the Seminole Tribe was limited to Class II Gaming on its reservations. In April 2010, Governor Charlie Christ negotiated the state’s first gaming compact. The compact was approved by the state legislature and subsequently approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in June 2010(5). It allowed the Seminole Tribe to offer slot machines, poker, and house-banked card games. However, the compact did not allow tribal casinos to operate craps or roulette games. In exchange, the Seminole Tribe agreed to pay more than $200 million annually.

The Seminole Tribe gets the most attention when it comes to Florida gambling, but it is worth noting that it isn’t the only tribe with gambling facilities in Florida. The Miccosukee Tribe also operates one Class II facility near Miami; however, they have never pursued a Class III Gaming compact.

Continued Disagreements Between Florida and the Seminole Tribe

Unfortunately, the 2010 compact agreement was not the end of tensions between Florida and the Seminole Tribe. The initial compact expired in 2015, and the state did not immediately renew it. As a result, the Seminole Tribe refused to continue paying the state the $200 million fee. It took more than three years, but the state eventually ratified a compact renewal in 2018.

That same year, Florida passed an amendment to the state constitution(6) that determined that the state could not legalize casino gambling without giving residents the chance to vote on it. The Seminole Tribe had lobbied for the bill extensively because it limits the state’s authority to legalize casino gambling, but it doesn’t apply to the tribal gambling compact.

In May 2019, the chairman of the Seminole Tribal Council, Marcellus Osceola Jr., informed Governor Ron DeSantis that the tribe was prepared to halt payments to the state again unless Florida forced commercial racinos to stop offering games that the tribe had exclusive rights to. Gov. DeSantis negotiated with the tribes to create the 2021 compact.

The 2021 compact gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive authority to offer craps, roulette, and sports betting throughout the state for the next thirty years. In exchange, the tribe agreed to increase its revenue payment to at least $500 million annually. Because of the West Flagler court case, the Seminole Tribe has been holding revenue payments in an escrow account. It will only release those funds to the state when the tribe is permitted to officially launch sports betting.

Other Florida Gambling Laws

In addition to the tribal casinos, Floridians can enjoy horse race betting, poker rooms, and electronic gaming machines at pari-mutuel betting facilities. The state also has a prominent lottery and bingo halls.

Here is a brief overview of other gambling laws in Florida.

• Florida Statutes Section 849(7) – The Florida Statutes state that anyone who participates in illegal gambling activities is guilty of a second-degree misdemeanor. This section also outlines acceptable gambling activities, such as commercial card rooms and charitable bingo.
• The Florida Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Live Racing Act(8) – This act defines pari-mutuel wagering activities in Florida, including betting on horse racing, dog racing, and jai alai.
• Florida Lottery Act(9) – Passed in 2012, this act authorized the creation of the Florida Lottery.

Land-Based Gambling Options in Florida

Land-based gambling in Florida is spread between pari-mutuel wagering facilities (also known as racinos), tribal casinos, and bingo halls. You can also purchase state lottery tickets at more than 13,000 authorized vendors throughout the state.

Tribal Casinos

There are seven tribal casinos in Florida. Six of them are owned by the Seminole Tribe, and are authorized to offer Class III Gaming. The Seminole Tribe is building a new hotel and casino in Brighton, which will replace the current Seminole Brighton Casino. It is expected to open in late 2024.

The Miccosukee Tribe owns the seventh casino, which has more than 2,000 electronic bingo machines. While these bingo machines may look similar to slot machines, the Miccosukee Tribe does not have the authority to offer Class III Gaming.

Miccosukee Resort and Gaming is the only gambling facility in Miami. However, there are three Seminole casinos in Broward County. The largest one is the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, which is only 29 minutes away from downtown Miami.

State Lottery

According to the California Lottery website, there are more than 23,000 retailers in the state selling lottery tickets. If you are reading this anywhere within the boundaries of the Golden State, odds are, you are easily within walking distance of a retail store that sells California lottery tickets.

Florida Racinos

Florida has several pari-mutuel wagering facilities. They are primarily horse racing tracks, but they are also allowed to offer poker rooms, electronic gaming machines, and pari-mutuel betting on jai alai. Here is a list of Florida’s racinos.

Bingo Halls in Florida

There are thirty active bingo halls in Florida. These bingo halls are subject to the Florida Bingo Statute, which limits how often they can host games and how large the jackpots can be. These bingo halls also have to share revenue with charitable organizations, such as Veterans programs.

Here are just a few places you can play bingo in Florida.

Florida Gambling Timeline

Future of Gambling in Florida

The future of online gambling in Florida really depends on what happens next in the West Flagler Associates case. There are two possibilities:

Option 1: Further Court Cases Could Delay Legal Sports Betting in Florida

If West Flagler Associates decides to continue their case, legal sports betting in Florida will be postponed until the next step of the case is decided. The plaintiffs could appeal their case to the Supreme Court, but it is unlikely the Supreme Court would agree to take the case.

Another option is that the plaintiffs take the case to the state courts. That would essentially mean starting the case over, but they would need to prove that the compact violates the State Constitution.

Option 2: Legal Sports Betting Returns to Florida

The second possibility is that the plaintiffs don’t act to pursue the case further. If they do not act by August 21, 2023, the Court of Appeals ruling will be mandated. At that point, the state compact would go into effect.

The Seminole Tribe would be free to re-launch its sports betting app, Hard Rock Bet. As the tribe is already preparing, it is possible that they could be ready to re-launch the app by the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, which starts in September.

Commercial sportsbooks, such as DraftKings, could apply to launch sports betting in Florida after the August 21st deadline. However, the tribal compact gives the tribe a monopoly on Florida sports betting. Subsequently, commercial sportsbooks could only operate in Florida if they agree to give a portion of their revenue (up to 40%) to the Seminole Tribe.

Gambling Responsibly in FL

According to the University of Florida(10), 1.1% of Florida’s population are compulsive or problem gamblers, while an additional 5.2% are at risk of becoming problem gamblers. That is why it is essential that every Floridian practices responsible gambling.

Here are some of Florida’s resources to help with problem gambling.

• The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling
• Gamblers Anonymous
• The National Council on Problem Gambling

Legal Sources

1. Circuit Court Decision – W. Flagler Associates v. Haaland
2. US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit – No. 21-5265
3. Seminole Tribe v. Butterworth
4. Seminole Tribe of Florida vs. Florida
5. Bureau of Indian Affairs – Class III Compact Approved for Seminole Tribe of Florida.
6. Florida Division of Elections – Voter Control of Gambling in Florida
7. Florida Statutes Section 849
8. Florida Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Live Racing Act
9. Florida Senate – Florida Lottery Act
10. University of Florida Research – Florida’s Problem-Gambler Risk Twice the National Average

Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he’s a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects.

When it comes to the NFL, Kevin’s favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.

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