Interior Dept. Interior Dept.

Post on: Tuesday, May 16, 2024 08:49h 

The last update was on May 16, 2024 at 8:49am.

The United States Department of the Interior has asked the Supreme Court for dismissal of a case challenging the Class III Gaming Compact the Seminole Tribe signed with Florida in 2020.

After being Additional time granted To file their brief in West Flagler Associates, Ltd., Debra Haaland, Sec. of the Interior, and Others v. Debra, the attorneys from the federal agency administering Native American programs requested the case to be thrown out.

West Flagler, along with its co-plaintiff Bonita Fort Myers Corporation, owns and operates Miami’s Magic City Casino, as well as Bonita Springs Poker Room. They claim Florida’s Gaming Compact with Seminole Tribe, which included online betting. Violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), a law of the United States that allows tribal governments to offer gaming in Class I or II on their lands, and Class III through agreements with host states.

DOI Seeks Dismissal

West Flagler, Bonita Fort Myers and others claim that the 2021 Compact violates IGRA as it permits the tribe to operate gambling outside its sovereign land. The plaintiffs claim that the 2021 compact is in violation of IGRA because the tribe can accept bets from any person physically located within the Sunshine State who has reached the age of 21.  

Although not parties to the Supreme Court case, the Seminoles, and the Florida government say that it does because the servers for the online sportsbook remain in Seminole territory. DOI attorneys concur.

[The] compact, as relevant here, addresses internet sports betting that the Tribe conducts by accepting wagers placed by patrons in Florida — including on non-Indian lands — and receiving those wagers at the Tribe’s computer servers located on Indian lands,” the DOI response read. The court of appeals ruled that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act authorized the gaming activities on Indian lands only.

DOI attorneys stated that Florida lawmakers changed the gaming laws of their state to allow for online sports wagering through computer servers on tribal lands. The DOI attorneys also said that the federal appeals court ruled that IGRA only regulates gaming in tribal lands, but not “anywhere else.” This means that Florida can allow bettors to send their wagers to Seminole sportsbook servers located on their tribe land.

“The court of appeals further determined that IGRA does not prohibit a gaming compact, which is, at bottom, an agreement between a tribe and a state, from discussing other topics, including those governing activities ‘outside Indian lands,'” the filing continued.

The Critical Decision

Supreme Court ruling on the Florida gaming compact This will likely have wide-ranging implications. It could even pave the way for tribal nations to begin their own programs. online gaming activities. Interior attorneys say this isn’t always the case. States would have to pass legislation to permit remote gaming, like Florida allowed with its online sports betting.

The brief stated: “Let us be clear, an IGRA Compact cannot provide independent legal authorities for gaming activities that occur outside Indian lands where those activities would otherwise be in violation of state law.” “States have ‘capacious’ authority to regulate tribal gaming outside Indian territory.”

The SCOTUS will likely decide within the next few months if it accepts the case. While the case is being decided, Florida’s online sports betting will continue through to the end of the year. Hard Rock Bet is a mobile app that allows you to play Hard Rock Bet. This website is a good example.