HOLLYWOOD – The Seminole Tribe of Florida on Monday ended a years-long legal battle over its mobile sports betting business with companies that operate racetracks and poker rooms, including West Flagler Associates.
West Flagler Associates, Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., Southwest Florida Enterprises, Inc., and Isadore Havenick have agreed not to file further lawsuits against the Tribe’s gaming operations. The tribe plans to accept jai alai bets via the Hard Rock Bet app in early 2025.
The Seminole Tribe began full-scale gambling on apps and casinos in early December of last year.
In 2021, the tribe and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis agreed to a 30-year agreement that provides $500 million in annual revenue to the state.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected West-Flagler’s defamation claims.
The companies say the U.S. Department of the Interior wrongly approved the deal, even though it gives tribes exclusive rights to sports betting and violates the Indian Gaming Control Act, which requires gaming on tribal lands. was making a point.
This app is the only way to legally bet on Florida sporting events.
“This is truly a win-win agreement for the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler,” Hard Rock CEO Jim Allen said in a news release. “This agreement establishes a cooperative relationship between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and West Flagler. This agreement allows us to serve an important role rather than engage in years of additional litigation. Both parties will be able to work together to promote Jai Alai, which has served Florida’s gaming community for nearly 100 years. ”
West Flagler owns several gaming, sports and entertainment facilities throughout Florida, including operating the World Jai Alai League, which is based in Coral Gables and Bonita Springs poker rooms near Fort Myers.
Mr. Halfnick also praised the agreement.
“We are excited to partner with the Seminole Tribe to support gaming operations in Florida and promote jai alai, which has been an important component of Florida’s gaming industry since the 1920s,” Havenick said in a news release. mentioned in. “We are proud to bring Jai Alai to the Hard Rock Bet app and look forward to building a strong partnership with the Seminole Tribe.”
The Havenick family sold Miami’s Magic City Casino to the PCI Gaming Authority in 2023. Magic City Casino is located on the site of the Flagler Dog Track, which closed in 2018.
Havenick’s grandfather purchased the property in 1952.
Seminole Gaming manages six casino complexes in Florida for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa and Hollywood, Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee, and Seminole Casino Brighton.
