Understanding Florida Betting Laws. Florida betting laws basically cover two platforms. There is the physical, land based, or 'real world' gambling experience, which can sometimes be constrained by your time and travel limitations. Then there is that form of Sunshine State gambling which can be accessed from a mobile device or computer with an Internet connection.
Gambling Age in Florida Like many states, the gambling age in Florida depends on the game in question. To play bingo or poker, players must be aged 18 or over. Other forms of gambling, such as table games, slots, and betting on races require players to be 21 and over. Currently, Florida has permitted the operation of land-based casinos in Indian reservations and legalized horse racing betting. It is important to note that establishments with licenses need to follow strict laws in order to maintain them. Casinos aren’t allowed off of these reservations though.
Florida law provides a limited exception for certain games of chance to take place within a residential dwelling, including a university dormitory. Specifically, games such as poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, or mah-jongg are permitted within dormitory rooms or the common recreational areas of university dormitories provided that. Florida laws regulating various types of gambling in the state, such as horse racing and bingo, with information about the types of games allowed and other matters. Florida State Lottery Laws Florida law with respect to the organization and function of state-sponsored lotteries, including the stated purpose of the lottery and the manner in which prize winnings may be garnished.
There have been big changes with regards to gambling regulation in the USA since 2018, when the Supreme Court invalidated a law that had banned sports betting in most states. A number of states have since then legalized and regulated sports betting, at land-based locations and online, and quite a few others, including Florida, are exploring the feasibility of doing so.
A Brief Overview of Gambling in Florida
Gambling has been around in Florida since the time of the Great Depression in 1932. It generates annual revenue of about $2 billion, though that number took a big hit in 2019, falling steeply to $574.65 million. There are 2 commercial casinos, 25 racinos and 8 tribal casinos. The official body responsible for regulating casino gambling in Florida is the Florida Division of Consumer Services.
Legalized gambling avenues in the state of Florida include pari-mutuel betting, a state lottery that ranks 3rd nationally, land-based casino gaming, poker rooms, social gambling and cruise ship gambling. Section 849.08 of state laws doesn’t allow hosting of online casinos. The next section sheds more light on this.
Online Gambling in Florida
The operation of online gambling websites has been deemed illegal in Florida, but there is no law prohibiting people from playing at the online casinos run by overseas operators. And there are quite a few of these around; a number of them have accepted US players despite the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.
One of the strongest advocates of a continued ban on online casino gambling in Florida is Ricky Scott, the Governor of the State. To many it may come as a surprise, given that one of the biggest supporters and donors of the governor is billionaire businessman Sheldon Adelson.
Bingo Laws In Alabama
Dig a little and one of the reasons for the governor’s dislike of online casinos becomes clear – Sheldon Adelson is a big player in the land-based casino establishment and Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which owns a number of reputed casino establishments.
The Need to Regulate Online Gambling Regulation is Right for Florida
Regulating online gambling has always been a better option in the long run than banning it, and this applies to the situation in Florida too. Here are a few reasons why it would be good for Florida.
Prevent the Mushrooming of Illegal Online Gambling Websites
One of the most important issues that regulation addresses is the emergence of illegal online gambling sites. And this is not just theoretical assumption: back in 2018 this was actually an issue that the administration in Jacksonville faced. There were hundreds of internet cafes springing up in strip malls there – many of them operating as adult arcades – of which only 90 had obtained appropriate licensing.
There have been other issues as well: in 2013 the FBI raided 49 internet cafes that were run by a charity based out of St. Augustine, Allied Veterans of the World. The allegations by state prosecutors were serious – they said these cafes functioned as fronts for money laundering and illegal gambling.
Bingo Hall Rules And Regulation
Make Swift, Secure and Easy Payments
One of the biggest problems that regulating online casino gambling in Florida would solve is giving you access to multiple secure and reliable payment methods. Depositing money from your bank account directly into your casino account can be tricky currently, given the situation related to gambling regulation here.
The way out would right now is to find an online casino that accepts cryptocurrency or credit cards, or use any of the limited e-wallets that the casinos accept. Regulation would change all this and ensure you are able to make payments swiftly. Until this happens, you can keep playing at US online casinos that miraculously are still able to take deposits and payout winnings!
Access Casinos Powered by the Best Vendors
The overall online gambling landscape in the country is changing and this is reflected by the number of casino software vendors who are slowly making their way back again to the US. This is a major change compared to earlier times when only a few vendors like Real Time Gaming (RTG), Scientific Games and BetSoft Gaming catered to US players.
Big names that are slowly making their way back to the US market include, among others, NetEnt, Playtech, Play ‘N Go and others. A direct impact of more vendors entering the Florida market will be on the number of games available to players. Currently, the casinos you get to play offer about 300 games at the most – that is the maximum number of games from RTG and the other vendors around.
Once the remaining vendors enter the Florida market subsequent to the regulation of gambling, they will be able to access all those multivendor casinos with 1000+ games that use white label gaming platforms to give you the best games from multiple vendors at one location.
Get Easy Access to Online and Mobile Sports Betting
Currently, Florida doesn’t allow online and mobile sports betting along with online casino gambling. The only exceptions when it comes to sports betting are Jai Alai betting and gambling on cruise ships. There have been numerous attempts over the years to legalize sports betting in Florida, the latest happening in 2019 with the introduction of the SB 968 bill.
The same is the story with online and mobile casinos as well, as mentioned earlier. We need to add here that while online and mobile casino gambling and sports betting are illegal in the state currently, players do have the option of signing up with sites run by overseas operators. That is a good option to have, but it comes with its own risks.
Banning is not the Solution
One thing is clear: the smart thing to do is legalize and regulate, not ban, online gambling in Florida. The advantages are numerous and the disadvantages nominal. All the casinos will of course need to follow the stringent guidelines laid down regarding responsible gambling and privacy policy.
As of now, all we can do is wait and hope that the regulation process takes off smoothly and is accomplished at the earliest – say by the end of 2020 or early 2021.
Florida betting laws basically cover two platforms. There is the physical, land based, or 'real world' gambling experience, which can sometimes be constrained by your time and travel limitations. Then there is that form of Sunshine State gambling which can be accessed from a mobile device or computer with an Internet connection. There are obvious benefits to these two similar yet different types of legal gambling options offered in Fl, and while we dedicated this site to help give you a better understanding of the virtual gambling experience offered by Florida online betting, we do want to highlight the brick-and-mortar options as well. Throughout the state, Florida residents and visitors can legally enjoy betting 'real money' on greyhounds and thoroughbreds, they can play bingo, sit down to a poker table, bet on Jai-Alai matches and play the lottery at several physical locations. They can even enjoy the ability to place a wager on a sports contest or play their favorite casino games on one of the many cruise ships the state has in operation, or at one of the state's brick and mortar Indian tribe operated casinos.
Florida Online Gambling Laws
Gambling laws in the Sunshine State have recently changed due to the negative experience that the state had with Internet Cafes, which have since been outlawed. The state has tightened up on their laws concerning any state based online gambling laws. It is not legal at this time to operate any type of online gambling site within the state of Florida. That being said, there are no state regulated Internet gambling options for players in Florida. However, there are not any state or federal laws which prohibit FL players from visiting and engaging in gambling activity at virtual destinations which are legally licensed, certified and regulated by a legitimate governing jurisdiction. In fact, legal Florida online casinos attempt to mimic the land based casino experience in a virtual, online version.
What is the UIGEA Bill and Does it Affect Florida Online Gambling Options?
The federal UIGEA Bill passed in 2006 to outlaw US companies from processing online gambling transactions has caused some confusion for Florida gamblers, and just as confusing is the 2011 Department of Justice flip-flop concerning the US government's stance on particular forms of Internet gambling. What you need to know is that neither federal nor Florida gambling laws prohibit United States or Florida residents from enjoying Internet gambling, as long as one important stipulation is met. The website or company you use online that supplies your virtual wagering experience must be officially licensed and regulated outside of the United States. Florida online betting venues include casinos, Florida online horse race betting, online poker rooms, online bingo halls, and Florida online sports betting.
Online Gambling's Black Friday - What it Means for the Industry
You may recall that on April 15, 2011 the three largest Internet poker rooms that served Florida residents, as well as global poker lovers, were shut down on what has become known as Black Friday in the Internet gambling community. But that criminal case (United States v. Scheinberg, 10 Cr. 336) accused those companies of bank fraud and money laundering, and to date not a single Florida or USA resident has been charged or prosecuted for placing a wager online. The laws are in place to protect you and I, and allow us to legally engage in adult online gambling at websites which are licensed, managed and regulated offshore, in Canada, Europe and other non-US jurisdictions. However, just because there are no gambling laws in Florida which specifically outlaw that state's residents from gambling at an offshore casino, sportsbook or poker room, that does not mean every offshore operator is legitimate and trustworthy.
How Do I Identify Online Gambling Sites Operating Legally Within the Industry?
Fl betting laws are in place, as we mentioned above, to protect the state's residents. This is why when you head to an offshore web casino, you should ensure that its certification comes from a reputable and respected online gambling license provider, and a thorough review of that particular operation needs to be undertaken. Online betting laws in Florida provide a lot of freedom and possibility for the responsible adult gambler, and due diligence is a key component to successful and secure online gambling. This guide is very respectful of the law, and only recommends those gambling sites which are verified to be legitimately operating within the industry as licensed and certified operations that are subject to strict regulatory oversight by a respected governing authority.
What is the Deal With Internet Cafes in Florida?
Florida at one time had more than 1,000 Internet cafes which they shut down, after a charity tied to Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll was accused of running illegal Internet gambling fronts through several of them. In order to quickly quiet the Sunshine State scandal, hasty legislation in the form of CS/HB 0155 was thrown together outlawing all Internet cafés, but accidentally worded to include 'the prohibition of electronic gambling devices.' This could apply to smartphones, desktop, laptop and mobile PCs as well as the physical slot machines it was written to address.
This has caused some Florida residents to mistakenly assume that Internet gambling is illegal in that state on any device, but that bill has been reworded to correct this error. But as we mentioned before, no online betting laws in Florida hamper your freedom to enjoy your favorite type of wager online. Also, since the December 2011 ruling of the DOJ allows each individual state to decide its own online destiny, Florida could join Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware as legally offering online gambling at the state level. If and when this happens we will certainly keep you updated, and that 2011 DOJ ruling is important for another reason. The US federal government decided that poker was a game of skill and not chance, opening the door for possible legalized online poker play in Florida and other states in the future. The state of Florida also offers the ability to legally purchase Florida lottery tickets or tickets for other games online, and not just for US-sponsored lotteries, but also those held around the world.
To recap, if Florida gambling laws should change in the future and outlaw Internet access, we will keep you posted. But currently Florida online gambling laws allow adult residents and visitors in that state to enjoy the virtual wagering options of their choosing, as long as they access a website run by a company legally licensed and regulated in non-US jurisdictions.
Sources: