The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 8 filed a brief and hearing schedule for a case surrounding legal sports betting in Florida and the validity of the Seminole Tribe’s compact with the state. The schedule ensures that the case won’t be resolved until at least 2023, which means no legal wagering in the state before then unless is comes via legislation, referendum, or initiative.
The court ordered that opening briefs from both the Seminole Tribe and the Department of the Interior be filed by Aug. 17 in West Flagler Ltd. v. the U.S. Department of the Interior. The final reply briefs for both the tribe and the DOI are due Nov. 14, and no date for oral arguments was set.
The case centers around the Seminole-state compact approved in May 2021, which would give the tribe exclusivity to digital sports betting throughout Florida. At the time that the compact was negotiated and the state legislature passed it during a special session, some lawmakers believed it was flawed and predicted lawsuits.
“It doesn't take a master's degree to know that there will be litigation,” said Rep. Sam Garrison at that time.