Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has labeled the petition filed by West Flagler Associates, a pari-mutuel betting operator, as “unjustifiable.”
The petition aimed to challenge the gambling compact signed between the Florida authorities and the Seminole tribe in 2021.
Moody’s submission to the Florida Supreme Court defended the state’s gambling agreement with the Seminole tribe.
One of the key arguments put forth by Moody is the lengthy delay of over two years between the signing of the gambling compact and West Flagler’s submission of the petition.
Additionally, Moody contends that West Flagler’s petition for writ of quo warranto does not meet the necessary legal standards.
Furthermore, Moody disputes the petition’s characterization of sports betting as “casino gambling” as defined in the Florida constitution.
Moody’s submission concludes by asserting that, due to these reasons, the petition should be dismissed or denied by the Florida Supreme Court.
West Flagler’s attempts to challenge Florida’s betting landscape have faced setbacks in various courts, including the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida and the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
In the previous month, the Florida Supreme Court rejected West Flagler’s motion to suspend the Seminole tribe’s Hard Rock Bet and its online sports betting service until a final ruling is reached.
The Seminole tribe, which holds the exclusive rights to offer gambling in Florida, relaunched its Hard Rock Bet service in the state.
The service is set to expand to include sports betting, roulette, and craps at all six of its casinos across Florida. The launch was celebrated with a star-studded event at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, featuring notable guests like Jon Bon Jovi, Mike Tyson, and Sofia Vergara.
This legal battle has been ongoing for two years, stemming from the launch of Hard Rock Bet in 2021 following the approval of a gaming compact by Governor DeSantis.
However, the compact faced a setback in December 2021 when the District of Columbia ruled that it violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
This prompted West Flagler and Bonita-Fort Myers to question the legality of offering sports betting through tribal-based servers versus betting on tribal land.
West Flagler intensified its legal challenges in August of the following year by filing a rehearing petition and a legal challenge against DeSantis and the Florida state legislature, questioning whether they had exceeded their respective authorities with the 2021 gaming compact approval.
Despite these efforts, the US Supreme Court rejected West Flagler’s motion to stay in October, providing the Seminole tribe with an opportunity to launch their sports wagering service unopposed, which they did shortly thereafter.