After years of contentious courtroom battles regarding mobile sports betting in Florida, the two adversaries have found an agreeable solution to end all future litigation.
Legal Turmoil
Despite a 30-year compact with the state of Florida and authorization by the Department of the Interior giving the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock Bet a sports betting monopoly, West Flagler Associates (WFA) refused to give up the legal fight. WFA asserted that the monopoly should not have been granted because, although Hard Rock Bet’s servers were on tribal land, the bets emanated from non-tribal lands.
That legal argument was validated in November 2021 by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, whose ruling forced the Seminoles to shutter their mobile sports betting operation less than a month after its launch. The Seminole Tribe appealed the ruling, and in June 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s decision, which allowed the tribe to reestablish its sports betting monopoly and relaunch in December 2023.
West Flagler was still not done, taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court before running out of legal ammunition when the SCOTUS declined to hear the case. And that was likely the end of the dispute until the most recent development.
Amicable Resolution
After courtroom battles that lasted for nearly four years, it only took a matter of months for the sides to put their differences aside and find common ground. Although WFA did not get their piece of the mobile sports betting pie that they had so desperately sought, what they did get was Jai Alai added to the Hard Rock sports betting menu.
That was a victory for the parimutuel betting company, as Battle Court Jai Alai, LLC, is an affiliate of West Flagler Associates, and it will be offered on the Hard Rock Bet app beginning in 2025. In return, WFA has agreed to terminate any current or future litigation concerning the Seminoles’ sports betting monopoly in the Sunshine State.
According to Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming, “This is truly a win-win agreement for the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler. This agreement establishes a relationship of collaboration among the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler in the State of Florida. Rather than engaging in years of additional litigation, this agreement will allow the parties to work together to promote Jai Alai, which has played an important role in Florida’s gaming landscape for nearly 100 years.”
Isadore Havenick agreed, stating, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Seminole Tribe in support of their gaming operations in Florida and to promote Jai Alai, which has been a critical component of Florida’s gaming industry since the 1920s. We are proud that Jai Alai will be featured on the Hard Rock Bet app, and we look forward to developing a strong partnership with the Seminole Tribe.”
The legal war was undoubtedly won by the Seminoles, but the peace offering will allow the two parties to work together and create additional revenue by offering Jai Alai as a new addition to the Hard Rock Bet sports betting menu.
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