Florida Sports Betting: Seminole Gaming Case Requests Extension

Janak9955

Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth Prelogar has requested a deadline extension from the court to respond to the West Flagler and Associates v. Haaland case. The case is currently under consideration by the United States Supreme Court and may have significant implications for the legal status of sports betting laws in Florida.

Prelogar has requested an extension of the deadline to May 12th, as the attorneys responsible for the government's response are currently busy with other court cases. Initially, the Department of Justice, representing the Department of the Interior, was required to respond to West Flagler's application by February 12th. However, the Supreme Court approved an extension of the deadline until April 12th.

On February 8th, West Flagler filed a request, about seven months ago, after a lower court overturned a decision allowing the Seminole Tribe to launch the Hard Rock Bet platform in Florida. The key issue in this case is whether Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has the authority to approve the 2021 agreement between Florida and the Seminole Tribe. The agreement stipulates that bets placed through tribal servers would be legally considered as taking place on tribal lands.

Last month, the Florida Supreme Court refused to hear a related case. In this case, West Flagler sued Governor Ron DeSantis and the legislature. West Flagler alleges that they exceeded their authority in approving an agreement because the third constitutional amendment passed in 2018 requires voter approval for any gambling expansion, raising questions about the legality of this agreement.

Approximately 7,000 cases are submitted to the United States Supreme Court each year, of which only 100 to 150 are accepted. While some stakeholders believe the court may consider this case because it involves tribal sovereignty, whether the court accepts any case is fundamentally uncertain.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the extension request for the Florida case soon. After the Department of the Interior submits its response, the court will begin considering whether to hear the case. Meanwhile, the Seminole Tribe has launched their Hard Rock Bet platform, indicating the high stakes of this legal battle.

Jiger955

The extension is probably just to delay, maybe they're looking for more excuses.

Iravan774

I don't know if the extension is a good thing or a bad thing.