Does Florida Have Casinos

The history of brick and mortar casinos in Florida goes back to the years of the Great Depression. Today, America's Sunshine State has nearly 150 casinos, spanning from the panhandle to the southernmost tip of the mainland, and everywhere in between. What was once known solely for its beautiful beaches and tourist attractions, Florida is quickly evolving into a mecca of gambling never before seen this far south of the Mason-Dixon line.

• Does Tallahassee Florida Have Casinos
• Does Destin Florida Have Casinos
• Does Panama City Florida Have Casinos

The following few sections will delve much deeper into the inner-workings of Florida's many casinos.

Florida has seven Indian casinos. Six are owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and one is owned and operated by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The total annual revenues from Indian gaming in Florida is estimated to be $2.5 billion ranking third in the U.S. #1 Casino Choice of U.S. For the record all the casinos in Florida are Native American Indian casinos except for the casino cruiseships, poker games,horseracing and greyhound tracks. Jacksonville Casino Information Jacksonville, Florida has 2 casinos in which you'll find more than 130 slots and gaming machines. Best Casino Hotels in Florida on Tripadvisor: Find 5,132 traveler reviews, 2,078 candid photos, and prices for 5 casino hotels in Florida, United States.

Players looking to gamble on table games without having to sail out of Florida can use our list of recommended Florida online casinos for great online slots, blackjack, craps, and roulette options.

Online Casinos That Accept Flordia Residents

Casinos in Florida

Every casino in Florida, along with its associated Floridian city, is listed as follows:

Calder Casino & Race Course-Miami Gardens
Casino Miami Jai-Alai-Miami
Creek Entertainment Gretna-Gretna
Dania Jai-Alai-Dania Beach
Daytona Beach Kennel Club and Poker Room-Daytona Beach
Derby Lane-St. Petersburg
Ebro greyhound Track-Ebro
Flagler Dog Track and Magic City Casino-Miami
Fort Pierce Jai-Alai & Poker-Fort Pierce
Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino-Hallandale Beach
Hamilton Jai-Alai and Poker-Jasper
Hialeah Park Race Track-Hialeah
Jacksonville Kennel Club-Orange Park
Jefferson County Kennel Club-Monticello
Mardi Gras Casino-Hallandale Beach
Melbourne Greyhound Park-Melbourne
Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Center-Miami
Naples/Fort Meyers Greyhound Track-Bonita Springs
Ocala Poker & Jai-Alai-Ocala
Orange Park Kennel Club-Orange Park
Palm Beach Kennel Club-West Palm Beach
Pensacola Greyhound Track-Pensacola
Pompano Park-Pompano Beach
Sarasota Kennel Club-Sarasota
Seminole Casino Big Cyprus-Clewiston
Seminole Casino-Brighton—Okeechobee
Seminole Casino Immokalee-Immokalee
Seminole Coconut Creek Casino-Coconut Creek
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood-Hollywood
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa-Tampa
Seminole Casino-Hollywood—Hollywood
Tampa Bay Downs-Tampa
Tampa Greyhound Track-Tampa
Victory Casino Cruises-Cape Canaveral

Gambling in Florida

Much like in Connecticut, land-based gambling in The Sunshine State is pretty much all about the local tribal gambling establishments. You won't find any commercial casinos or card rooms in The Sunshine State, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying your favorite slots and table games in a live casino environment.

Other than that, Florida offers pari-mutuel horse race betting and operates its own lottery. Online lottery ticket sales aren't allowed and the bill that was supposed to introduce them died in the Senate Committee in 2014.

The state doesn't have any regulated iGaming sites, so most of the local online gambling enthusiasts rely on offshore casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks that accept US-based customers.

Florida Casinos

Casinos in Florida tend to fit neatly into 2 distinct categories, racinos and Native American casinos. Racinos dominate Florida's casino offering, making up more than 3/4s of the total casinos in the state.

Florida currently bans the operation of casinos outside of Native-American reservations. In 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed, granting class two gambling licenses to all Native-American tribes within the US. Since then, several popular casinos have been established in Florida, such as:

• The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino located in Tampa
• The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood located in Hollywood
• Seminole Casino Brighton located in Okeechobee
• Miccosukee Resort and Gaming located in Miami
• The Big Cypress Casino located in Clewiston

Both of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casinos are operated by the Seminole tribe and are the two largest gambling establishments in Florida. The Miccosukee tribe lacks the gambling compacts that the Seminole own, and as a result, are only allowed to operate class two games (slot machines and keno).

Players may gamble on card games such as Blackjack and poker, but traditional table games like Craps and Roulette are not permitted. To play the full range of table games, players must board a boat which sails out to international waters. Once outside of Florida's jurisdiction, wagering on games of chance becomes legal. Popular ports for the cruises-to-nowhere include:

• Fort Lauderdale
• Jacksonville
• Miami
• Tampa
• Miramar

Florida Racinos

Racinos are, as you might have guessed, greyhound courses or horse tracks that are accompanied by gambling facilities such as slots, blackjack, and/or poker. Because every racino is different, some may only offer slot play while others will give off the look and feel of the casinos you would find in larger gambling destinations such as Atlantic City or Las Vegas.

Florida Native American Casinos

The other predominant type of casino found in Florida are those owned and operated by Native American tribes. Casinos like Seminole Casino Hollywood are owned by a particular Native American tribe and are situated on their reservation. Because Indian reservations are treated as their own sovereign regions, the law of Florida which prevented casinos did not stop the Native Americans from constructing their own.

A lot of the Native American casinos in existence in Florida today are similar to the resort casinos you will find lining the Las Vegas strip. Equipped with a casino, hotel, spa, restaurants, shops, and other attractions, Native American casinos tend to blow the socks off of the racinos that make up a majority of Floridian gambling destinations.

Florida Cruise Ships with Casinos

The last type of Floridian casino is the casino cruise. On boats that are really nothing more than floating casinos, gamblers will be taken out to sea where the law of the land has no say in whether they gamble or not. For cruises on Florida's west coast, gamblers will be taken 9 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico while cruises on Florida's east coast need to only travel 3 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean. These cruise casinos have all the table games and slots you would expect to find at any casino, floating or otherwise.

Flordia Sportsbooks & Sports Betting

Even though the US Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of sports betting legalization on a state-by-state basis, the chances of sports betting coming to Florida are low. The Native-American tribes currently hold gaming compacts with the state, which would be rendered void if sports gaming became legal.

In November 2018, the citizens of Florida will vote on amendment 3, which would modify the way gambling is defined in the state constitution. If passed, the general populace will gain the ability to build momentum on the legalization of sports gambling.

Even if everybody in the Sunshine State supported sports gambling today, it would take until 2020 before the needed legislation could be implemented.

eSports and fantasy gambling

Florida law does not differentiate between wagers made on electronic sports (eSports) and traditional sports. As a result, eSports gambling is currently illegal in the state.

Since 2015, Florida legislators have made several big pushes to legalize daily fantasy sports (DFS) gambling. The most recent attempt took the form of Senate Bill 840, which has yet to make it past the Conference Committee. One of the biggest challenges Florida faces with DFS gaming is whether to classify it as gambling. Legislators haven't figured out a way to work around the explicit punishments defined in the Florida gambling laws on illegal gambling and bookmaking. Many hope that if voters successfully pass Amendment 3, they will then vote on an amendment legalizing DFS gambling.

Animal racing

Florida permits gambling on horse racing. Players may only place pari-mutuel wagers on thoroughbred races, quarter horse races, and harness races. These wagers can be made both off-track and inter-track.

Thoroughbred racing is the most popular form of horse racing in Florida, and the state boasts some of the best thoroughbred racing tracks in the country, namely:

• The Calder Race Course located in Miami
• Gulfstream Park located in Hallandale
• The Tampa Bay Downs located in Tampa Bay

Additional horse racing tracks can be found in:

• Hallandale Beach
• Miami Gardens
• Pompano Beach

Any race track with a greyhound permit may host dog races. Similarly to horse race gaming, pari-mutuel wagers can be made both off-track and inter-track.

Poker Games in Florida

In 2010, the $2 maximum poker bet rule was eradicated, clearing the path for most Native-American casinos to host serious live poker tables. Popular poker rooms in Florida include:

• The Big Easy Casino located in Hallandale
• Creek Entertainment Gretna

Standard cash games are commonplace throughout Florida including larger casinos such as the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, which also hosts some large field WPT events.

Social gambling is allowed as long as the poker game uses penny-ante style wagering that does not exceed $10. Poker games of this nature must be hosted in a private residence.

Florida Lottery

Florida currently runs an in-state lottery, which offers popular games such as:

• Pick 2, 3, 4, and 5
• Fantasy 5
• Lucky Money
• Florida Lotto

The Sunshine State also allows a variety of multi-state lotteries, including:

• Powerball
• Mega Millions
• Cash4Life

Half of the prize is awarded to the lottery winner, 39% of the money pool goes to Florida in the form of state taxes, and the remaining amount is claimed by lottery operators. All lottery proceeds gathered by Florida go to the state public education fund, which is used primarily for the construction and maintenance of schools. Lottery prizes over $600 may be subject to garnishment if the winner is delinquent on their taxes or owes child support. Winners must claim their prize within 180 days or forfeit it.

Florida Bingo Games

Charitable organizations that qualify for exemption from federal income taxes may host charity gaming events. Any organization that runs an illegal bingo operation with jackpots over $250 is convicted of a first-degree misdemeanor.

The Seminole tribes opened a high-stakes bingo hall in 1979, which still operates today and offers large bingo prize pools. Several other popular bingo parlors exist in Florida, including:

• Bingo Trail located in Port Charlotte
• Busch Bingo located in Tampa
• Jackpot Bingo located in Brandon

History of Florida Casinos

The history of Florida casinos can be linked directly to the grip the Great Depression had on the United States during the early 1930s. In 1932, the state of Florida legalized pari-mutuel betting in a large part of the state as a way of driving up revenue during a time when revenues were mostly drying up. This move was quickly followed in 1935 by the legalization of slot machines, a law that would eventually be repealed in 1973.

1979 marked the first year in which Indian bingo halls were legalized, a move that would see many Floridian Indian tribes turn to gambling as a way of bringing in revenue. Even today, most casinos in Florida are owned and operated by a variety of different Native American tribes.

In the 1980s, many Floridians circumvented the lack of traditional brick and mortar casinos by hitching a cruise on the many gambling vessels dotting the state's ports. These cruises served the sole purpose of taking passengers out to sea and allowing them to freely gamble before returning to port a few hours or days later. Cruises like this still exist today and are a fun, interesting way to gamble.

Despite the state of Florida having a large gambling presence by the 1970s, state voters shot down measures to legalize casino gambling in 1978, 1986, and again in 1994. Ten years after the 1994 gambling legalization bill was shot down, Florida voters finally said yes to the legalization of casinos. Today, Florida is ranked the state with the 4th largest casino offering in the United States. Casinos can be found in every region of the state and are being built with increasing frequency.

Florida Gambling Rules & Facts

Before going to Florida and gambling, there are a few rules worth mentioning. For one, the gambling age changes depending on what type of gambling you would like to do.

-Due to the wording of Florida gaming law, betting on the result of a trial is treated as illegal.

-Illegal gambling outside of a tribal reservation is considered a second-degree misdemeanor, while any bookmaking is a third-degree felony.

-Florida residents may own and operate a slot machine within their home as long as the machine was manufactured 20+ years ago.

– If you are 18, playing poker is acceptable, but putting coins into a slot machine and pulling the reel is not.

– Games like blackjack and roulette also require you to be 21 before you can place a wager.

– As is the case for almost all of the United States, Florida's drinking age is 21.

– With regards to sports betting, it is not allowed in Florida casinos, though it is available, in abundance, on the many casino cruises offered all year long.

A great part of the population in this state, South Florida particularly, is made up of immigrants and retired citizens, both categories prone towards wagering. The first, searching for the life-changing breakthrough, the latter to fill up their time with a dose of excitement. These being said, there is no surprise that gambling in FL has its fair share of supporters. But are they modern enough to insist for access at the latest developments in this field? Is USA online gambling legal in Florida? And when should we expect the first online casino Florida based?

Best Florida Online Casino Sites

Contents

Florida Gambling Laws

The question of is online gambling legal in the USA still remains a tough one to answer in a straightforward manner. The legislative jungle this subject crosses makes many potential businessmen consider the hassle might not be worth the risks assumed. The same uncertainty governs federal gambling laws in Florida, as well as individual state legislation.

The state of Florida has had its number of ups and downs and the journey of regulating wagering finalized in what seems to be a monopoly. A situation which has brought in its turn, a lot of controversial decisions on what games are accepted and what is not. There are a lot of grey, undecided areas, as is the case with Florida online casinos, which aren't specifically stated as being neither illicit nor legal.
The complications had begun since the 1930s, when in just 6 years, lawmakers managed to deem all forms of gambling illegal, then allowing slots machines, finalizing with another complete ban on all types of wagering. This undoubtedly started the dance.

In more recent days, the Seminole Tribe put grounds to a bingo hall in 1979, which turned into a casino along with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, going all the way into creating a regular monopoly, hold by this tribe, with its seven casinos that hold them all the rights on organizing banked games and poker, in the majority of places.

Monopoly being instated, different factions wanted to expand other forms of commercial gambling, resulting in many groups of interest putting pressure on lawmakers to get to a final form of gambling laws. This and the lawsuits contesting the Seminole's monopoly have developed an intricate system of rules and restrictions.

The Letter of the Law – Extracts

The set of laws that creates the legal framework of gambling in FL has a series of definitions whose interpretations are used for establishing what's legal and what's not.

Thus, most games that involve an outcome left to chance on any degree are banned. The casinos belonging to the Seminoles are exempt under federal law. There are a couple of horse tracks, which are also allowed to offer some casino-like games, the so-called 'racinos'. And finally, a small number of greyhound racetracks, but seeing how they constantly suffered in popularity along the years, they have recently been voted to be closed down, starting 2021.

Games of skill aren't exempt of the lawful ban, sports betting not being on the right side of law-makers' acceptance of placing bets. There is however the notable exception of jai-alai, the only sport where wagering is allowed on results.

Following the trend of online gambling laws in the USA, lawmakers have yet to take a categorical stand on the matter, leaving things in the grey area of legally unspecified subjects. Florida online gambling laws don't mention anything about these sorts of games being legal or not. However, there is a specification about hosting, owning or enabling casinos or other sorts of establishments where wagering is permitted, being out of the law. Therefore, no Internet casino operator is taking a chance of creating such a business Florida-based.

Any modification in the foreseeable future is hard to believe it'll occur, on account of the 2018 decision stating that any expansion on the subject of gambling, be it Internet-based or the more classic approach, must be submitted to a statewide vote, in the form of a referendum.

Online Gambling Situation

As stated earlier, the need for online gambling regulations hasn't been thus far among the priorities of Florida lawmakers. This means that no FL online casinos are going to be based in this state anytime soon. With this bearer of bad news comes the natural query: if you're a Florida state resident, can you gamble online for real money?

The answer to that is positive. Although the state law mentions a ban on organizing casino-type businesses, this only refers to those who own this type of affair and not to those players who demand this service. Based on this principle, there are some offshore online gambling sites that take advantage of the grey area this law creates and offer their services to FL residents. For example, Bovada casino which is legal in Florida.

• Top 1 USA online casino
• Fast payouts

Most of these sites are powered by RTG software, this being one of the few online games providers which don't frown upon accepting US-based players, we gathered almost all RTG casinos on our website. Also, this is one of the famed software providers, renowned for the large variety of game versions, going from the classical slots or table games, to the lesser known 7 reel slots, progressive jackpots, or some modern days view on poker. Given the enticing bonuses, they give to customers, FL players have nothing to regret on joining one of these secure sites.

There are a couple of warning signs to look out for whenever accessing some of the sites that aren't specifically mentioned in the reviews here, mainly on the security risks that such an unchecked site poses.

Also, it's good to know, that most offshore sites apply additional security measures when it comes down to withdrawing money from the online account. They require extra verifications and mostly accept as means of getting a hold of the money only wire transfers or bank checks. Involving an independent bank in these transactions means an additional assurance against falling victim to any sort of fraud.

Offline Gambling

Tribal casinos

As stated in other paragraphs, the Seminole Nation managed to monopolize the gambling domain in this state, by owning all 7 brick and mortar casinos. On top of that, they've managed to own a couple of establishments in other states across the country, through their company Hard Rock International. With such an appetite for business and with, no doubt, quite an influence among state's legislators, the prospect of a Florida online casino to be opened any time soon, seems like a distant dream.

Betting Tracks

These are the only things that keep a full state of monopoly to take place, seeing how betting is allowed here, on the races, as well as pari-mutuel and some can even offer casino-type games. The balance might shift a little after the 2018 decision that all dog races are going to be banned starting 2021. But all 14 establishments that currently host this type of racing will be allowed to offer others kinds of wagering games. Horse races, on the other hand, seem like they're good to go for a fair amount of time, still being highly popular and piquing interest.

Jai-alai

The only skill-based sport which can be wagered on is the Latino popular jai-alai. The Basque original game is a sport brought-with by Cuban immigrants and the large popularity it holds in Miami especially, convinced regulators to exempt it from the written rules. Perhaps, given this precedent being set and with the proper pressure, Florida online gambling can still be put on the map.

Casino Cruises

One of the popular pass-times, there are a high number of casino cruises, many of them going to the close-by Caribbean Islands or the Bahamas. As for the lack of interest in online gambling Florida has other interesting options, as we can see.

Social Gaming

The closest representative that online gambling Florida has is in the social gaming field. The Seminoles, although disagree with constituting a Florida online casino, did, however, launch two social gaming sites through the Hard Rock International company. So, an openness towards the Internet market exists.

Development in the Field of Gambling

Referendum

The year of 2018 came with a number of decisions on the wagering subject, affecting indirectly the Florida online gambling laws. It has been decided that any legislative modification on the matter of gambling expansion, is bound to pass a referendum, in which people need to express their vote on the matter. So, for the opening of a new online casino, Florida's population must first embrace the idea.

Dog Races

The state decided to close down all dog race facilities, on account of their popularity not being what it once was. If popularity is an indicator on what goes and what stays, perhaps there is still a chance for Florida online gambling.

Other changes

The soon to be disaffected dog tracks are going to be provided with the option of operating off-track betting on simulcasting races. After the deadline of 2021, poker clubs can be opened using the same facilities. Hosting slots in Florida's old dog tracks are going to be permitted starting the same year. Any change towards the expansion of gambling is good news for FL online gambling.

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Alabama online casinos
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Yes. The tribal casinos offer a wide array of options. Besides these, there are horse racing facilities or bingo halls. Concerning Internet betting, although very few legal online gambling USA sites exist, you can find more than one option on offshore-based online casinos.

American online gambling has been in the last couple of years under constant stress, due to ever-changing regulations, many of which scared operators off. Although there are no current Florida online casinos, the offer sustained by websites licensed in other countries with a more relaxed attitude towards the phenomenon is vast and easy to access.

Extra care should be given when betting in online casinos for real money. Unfortunately, gambling on the internet is the subject of many fraudulent attempts. That's why only accessing sites that have proven to be safe, such as the websites from our list, is of the utmost importance.

This is one of the grey area subjects that are neither specifically illegal, nor are they 100% sure to be permitted. But what is sure to be allowed is betting on those online gambling sites that accept Florida players, mostly being headquartered offshore.

The same grey area is available here, with the law being subject of many different interpretations. The main idea is that there is nothing holding you back, legally-wise, for playing online poker on those safe and secure sites that allow you to.

18 for pari-mutuel, casinos, lottery tickets, bingo. For poker in Miami, with needing to be 21 elsewhere for playing poker. The legal internet gambling age is the same applied in the player's state of provenance.

Does Tallahassee Florida Have Casinos

Does Destin Florida Have Casinos

Whenever playing online slots for real cash, for example, the money won contractually belong to you, and the online casinos are obligated to put at your disposal. The only issue is that with the federal laws governing internet gambling the USA, withdrawals aren't finalized on the spot. Aus online casino. They're usually handled via wire transfers or checks through banks, and these take a couple of days to be processed.

Does Panama City Florida Have Casinos

There is low interest, close to none, for currently regulating online gambling in Florida. But the options provided by other state-based, as well as offshore, Internet casinos are there at Florida's resident's disposal.