The Seminole Tribe has launched its mobile sports betting app in a “limited” fashion, spokespeople said Tuesday, despite two ongoing lawsuits that challenge the practice.
“The Seminole Tribe is offering limited access to existing Florida customers to test its Hard Rock Bet platform,” Gary Bitner, a spokesperson for the tribe, said in a prepared statement. The statement did not elaborate on how many customers have access or what the limitations are.
The re-launch comes a week after the tribe announced that in-person sports betting would return on Dec. 7 at all South Florida locations. At the time, the tribe did not comment on the return of mobile sports betting.
The Seminoles previously launched the sports betting app in 2021, but stopped accepting wagers after a court ruling blocked the deal.
Currently, two lawsuits filed by West Flagler and Associates seek to challenge mobile sports betting in Florida. One is before the U.S. Supreme Court, and argues that mobile sports betting defies the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, even though the servers accepting the bets are located on Seminole Tribe land. The other is before the Florida Supreme Court, and argues that the law defies an amendment which requires a 60% of voters to approve any expansion of gambling in the state.
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