Hard Rock Bet Surprisingly Launches in Florida

The on-again, off-again legal sports betting situation in Florida is... on again. On Tuesday, with no notice and zero fanfare, the Seminole Tribe launched their Hard Rock Bet brand to customers who had previously signed up for the betting product in the Sunshine State. Florida residents currently do not have access to any of our best sports betting apps.

"The Seminole Tribe is offering limited access to existing Florida customers to test its Hard Rock Bet platform," said a spokesperson on Tuesday.

The potential for the Seminole Tribe to go live with Hard Rock Bet in the Florida sports betting scene has been there for a couple of years, but court battles have so far stopped the Tribe from going live with Hard Rock Bet. Make sure to check out our Hard Rock review.

It was just last week that the Seminole Tribe announced that they were going forward with in-person, retail sports betting at the tribe's retail casinos in the state. The retail rollout will occur from Dec. 7-11, with three of their facilities offering sports betting on Dec. 7.

Tuesday's under-the-radar mobile launch of Hard Rock Bet is a serious escalation to the Seminole sports betting plans and further proof that no number of legal hurdles will affect the outcomes of a renegotiated tribal compact agreed to by the tribe itself and Gov. Ron DeSantis back in 2021.

Ramifications

At the time of the announcement last week of the Seminoles' decision to launch retail sports betting, Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming, chairman of Hard Rock International, said: "This is a historic milestone that immediately puts Florida in the same league with the world’s great gaming destinations."

Tuesday's launch of mobile sports wagering in the state pours rocket fuel on the state, making it one of the most desirable legal sports betting jurisdictions in the country. 

Florida is home to 21.5 million residents and one of the most robust tourism industries in America. It has three NFL teams, two MLB teams, two NBA teams, two NHL teams, two Major League Soccer teams, and 13 NCAA Division I college teams, all of which have been advocating for such a platform in the state, and all of which will benefit in some way from legal sports betting.

Availability

The Hard Rock Bet platform has been launched in what has been deemed a limited fashion. Absent any significant press release following the latest launch of Florida sports betting, the attempt to provide Florida sports bettors a mobile platform has been called a "soft re-launch" by insiders.

After more than two years of fighting the courts, Hard Rock Bet will be available to existing customers only as a test for the platform and a precursor to a broader opening up of the brand down the line.

Customers throughout Florida who have registered for a Hard Rock account will be eligible to place a sports wager immediately, in time to take advantage of Week 10 of the NFL season. It's too bad that the Miami Dolphins are on a bye in Week 10.

History teaches caution

Despite a virtual monopoly of the gambling industry in Florida, the Seminoles have been deliberate in their rollout of a legal sports betting platform in the Sunshine State. 

It was back in November 2021 that Seminole resources were spent launching the Hard Rock mobile app after the newly signed compact between the state and the tribe went into effect. That launch lasted just 34 days before... you guessed it... more litigation forced the tribe to shut down their mobile sports betting platform.

A mobile sports betting model for Florida customers has been a serious sticking point for the opponents and proponents of gambling in the state. A "hub-and-spoke" model, in which servers for the sports betting platform would be located on tribal lands, has been and will continue to be the battlefront for the Seminole plans for mobile sports wagering.

What makes this attempt to launch different is anyone's guess.

Legal challenges remain

Pari-mutuel companies West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., owners of Magic City Casino and Bonita Springs Card Room, are still battling the Seminole's compact in the state and could eventually take the matter to the Supreme Court.

The most recent attempt by West Flager failed to satisfy the requirements needed to grant another stay on the issue. That stay would have effectively prevented Hard Rock Bet from going live.

However, concerns remain about the viability of the wording in the Seminole/Florida State compact. That said, the pari-mutuels efforts haven’t been enough to stop Hard Rock Bet from launching this time.

Will this attempt at the launch of Hard Rock Bet stick? When will new customers be able to sign up and take advantage of mobile sports betting in Florida? Hopefully, the answers to those questions will come soon, but as of now, they remain elusive.