The Tribal operator attempted to halt a judge’s ruling in a case concerning its compact with the state’s government, but an appeals court refused its request in a major blow to sports betting in the Sunshine State.
Its Hard Rock SportsBook app stopped accepting wagers on Saturday 4 December after a split three-judge panel of the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld Judge Dabney Friedrich’s ruling. The Seminole Tribe requested the appellate court to stay her ruling, but its motion was denied in a 2-1 decision.
In her 25-page opinion, Friedrich determined that the state and Tribe’s gambling compact violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), in particular the requirement that sports betting may only be undertaken on “Indian lands”.
Governor Ron DeSantis had signed the compact into law earlier this year, and it was approved by the Department of the Interior (DOI), led by Secretary Deb Haaland. But Friedrich’s ruling sought to reverse this approval, which has thus far proven successful after the Tribe’s thwarted appeal.
A statement from the Seminole Tribe read: “As a result of yesterday’s Appeals Court decision denying a temporary stay of the District Court’s decision on the 2021 Compact, Hard Rock Sportsbook will temporarily suspend operations of its mobile app in Florida. Account balances for all current players will be refunded as requested.”
Meanwhile, players attempting to access the Hard Rock app were greeted with a message that said: “Although we are temporarily suspending the acceptance of new bets and account deposits, we remain committed to building the best place for sports betting in Florida.”
