Florida legalizes sports betting, vote passes house 97-17

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a gamble that paid off, the Florida house gave the green light to allowing sports betting in the Sunshine State.

The house voted 97-17 to approve the $2.5 billion proposal.

The new deal legalizes sports betting and also adds craps and roulette tables to Seminole casinos.

Jacksonville neighbor Curtis Timberlake has concerns for fellow Floridians.

“There are people who gamble and gamble responsibly, so by all means they should be able to bet on sports,” he said. “But my only concern is for people who can’t bet responsibly.”

The 30-year deal allows for Florida to receive around $2.5 billion over the next five years, and a rough estimate of $20 billion in the next three decades.

State senator Travis Hutson says this will help the economy immensely, and was something that was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Every constituent that I have talked to, that are close friends of mine, wants sports betting, they want to be able to do it legally,” he said. “A lot of people are doing it illegally right now. So, we want to make sure they are doing it legally, and we want to make sure we recoup the dollars through the revenue share.”

The Seminole tribe of Florida will control sports betting across the state, and have other betting companies operate through revenue sharing agreements.

Others against the bill have concerns over a sports betting monopoly.

“We can get a much better deal than this, this deal feels rushed,” West Palm Beach State Rep. Omari Hardy said. “This deal feels like we came to the table with the Seminoles from a position of desperation.”

As for Timberlake, he’s hoping the money made from this goes to the right places, and wants his neighbors to take precautions when spending money on gambling.

“Unfortunately some people will discover via higher knocks they’re not able to gamble on sports, but that journey maybe very traumatic for them,” he said.

The deal is expected to face legal challenges. Some say the proposal also violates Amendment 3, which passed in 2018, and requires statewide voter approval of future expansions of gambling in Florida.

The bill is headed towards the governor’s desk and he is expcted to sign it, making a potential date for sports betting to begin in October.

Cox Media Group