Seminole Tribe sues DraftKings in Broward County over illegal Florida sports betting
The Seminole Tribe of Florida filed a lawsuit in Broward County on Thursday morning against DraftKings, Inc., accusing the online sports betting company of operating an illegal gambling operation in the state.
The tribe, which operates the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, says DraftKings is offering an illegal sportsbook in Florida through products like Pick6, a fantasy sports platform that lets users predict individual athlete performances, and the DraftKings Super App, a mobile application for gambling. The lawsuit seeks to stop DraftKings from operating those products in the state.
DraftKings entered the Florida market in January with the launch of Pick6. The tribe argues in a 72 page complaint that the contests amount to illegal sports betting and infringe on its exclusive rights under Florida's 2021 gaming compact with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
That compact legalized sports betting in Florida and gave the tribe exclusive rights to operate sportsbooks statewide. The tribe has been in the gambling business since 1979, when it opened the nation's first high stakes bingo hall.
The lawsuit also names DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and accuses him of organizing a campaign to dismantle Florida's gaming laws. According to the complaint, DraftKings has spent more than $20 million on ballot initiatives to legalize its sports betting operation in Florida and has secretly funded a series of legal challenges.
"Defendants openly advertise that they offer a sportsbook throughout Florida. But they hide from the public that their sportsbook is illegal," the lawsuit says. "Every wager that defendants now accept through their illegal sportsbook siphons away revenue that funds both the Tribe's and Florida's public programs and government services; diverts betting from Florida's regulated system into an underground, unregulated, and outlawed book; and deprives the Floridian who places such a bet of the consumer protections guaranteed by Florida law."
Online sports betting has grown nationwide. According to data published in JAMA Internal Medicine, total sports wagers rose from $4.9 billion in 2017 to $121.1 billion by 2023. The Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting in 2018.
The tribe's lawsuit says DraftKings' operation pulls money away from Florida's regulated system and into an illegal one. The complaint asks the court to enjoin DraftKings from operating what the tribe calls an illegal sportsbook.
A hearing date was not immediately available.
