The plaintiffs that sued to block the Seminole Tribe of Florida from offering online sports betting in the Sunshine State responded Thursday in a federal appeals court to efforts to overturn that decision. A “Welcome to Florida” sign greets travelers to the state. On Thursday, two companies that filed a lawsuit to block the Seminole Tribe from offering online sports betting statewide filed their motion in a federal appellate court asking them to uphold a lower court’s decision last year in their favor. (Image: Katherine Welles/Adobe Stock Images) The filing by the Magic City Casino and the Bonita Springs Poker Room in the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is the latest in a legal case against the US Department of the Interior and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland that could affect what tribal gaming operators can offer.
It’s a complex case as both the plaintiffs and the federal government oppose a motion by the Seminole Tribe to be included in the case so it can seek its dismissal.
“While the federal government and the tribe both seek reversal, the tribe’s preferred path is in tension with circuit precedent and, if adopted, could functionally nullify the (Administrative Procedure Act’s) waiver of federal sovereign immunity in the wide swath of cases where federal agency action benefits a tribe or state that cannot be joined to litigation without consent,” the Interior Department stated in its filing on Monday.
The case started more than a year ago, with Magic City and Bonita Springs filing their suit after the Interior Department allowed an amended compact between the tribe and the state of Florida to be deemed as approved. That compact included a provision allowing the Seminole Tribe to offer online sports betting statewide, and the plaintiffs argued – and US District Judge Dabney Friedrich agreed – that the compact went against Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which pertains to gaming on tribal lands. ‘Zero Doubt’
In its filing Thursday, lawyers for Magic City and Bonita Springs argue that the Seminole Tribe should not be allowed to join because both the tribe […]
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