Illegal gambling in the Sunshine State is covered by Florida Statutes 849.01 et seq. However, the state does allow home games and doesn’t have any regulations that could be directly applied to online play.Ĭonsequently, some Florida-based gambling enthusiasts choose to play on offshore gambling sites, and state authorities have shown no interest in prosecuting individual players. Illegal Gambling in FloridaĪccording to Section 848 of the Florida Code, taking part in unlicensed land-based gambling is a second-degree misdemeanor. The minimum gambling age is 21 for casino games and 18 for lottery games, horse racing, dog racing, bingo, jai alai, and poker.

This makes it harder for the legislature to negotiate with the Seminoles.

The issue has been further complicated by a law, approved by voters in 2018, that stipulates that state residents must have the final say on all gambling expansion measures at a public referendum. The tribe is bitterly resistant to any form of expansion that might include state-licensed commercial operators. Gambling expansion in Florida is always a contentious issue because any initiative must have the blessing of the Seminoles due to the billions of dollars in revenues they share with the state. The Miccosukee casino is a class II gaming venue, which means it offers non-banked poker and bingo-style games.įlorida's parimutuel facilities are also prohibited from offering banked games, where the dealer acts as the house, although certain venues located in Miami Dade and Broward counties are permitted to offer slots. The Seminoles hold the exclusive right in Florida to operate class III gaming, which means 'banked' games such as slots and blackjack. The powerful Seminole tribe operates seven of these casinos under its Hard Rock Casino brand, and the Miccosukee tribe owns the eighth. The local tribes established eight casinos that host legal slots and table games. Tribal gaming was introduced to Florida with the federal Indian Regulatory Gaming Act of 1988. Nowadays, most of these parimutuel facilities host poker rooms and other gambling games. The history of state-sanctioned gambling in Florida dates back to 1931 when local legislators legalized on-site betting on dog and horse racing as well as jai alai.

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