New Jersey currently stands tall as the leader in the online gambling USA space. New Jersey passed its online gambling law in 2013. The new statute allowed Atlantic City casinos to apply for internet gaming permits. While there are no specific laws per se governing online poker or gambling sites, the definition of the law as it stands today is that if you operate an online poker site in the state of Florida, you’ll be guilty of breaking the law. There is no Federal law criminalizing mere poker players playing online. Current Gambling Laws in Florida.
Florida was a pioneer in several forms of gambling in the South. It was the first to legalize horse and greyhound racing. Its state lottery was the first in the region. Florida casinos were launched third in the southeast, only after Mississippi and Louisiana. It is the only state in the South with card clubs.
Florida gambling has always been a hotly debated subject. Referendums related to gambling expansion failed time and time again from the Great Depression era until a lottery passed in 1986. A poker referendum only passed in one county in 1994 before receiving more widespread support two years later. These days, Florida is known as one of the healthiest poker markets in the world. There are also over thirty Florida casinos, with plenty of other poker rooms and Indian casinos.
During the midterm elections of 2018, Floridians voted on two pieces of legislation affecting gambling.
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The only form of legal Florida online gambling is off-track betting on horses and greyhounds. Sites like TVG and TwinSpires accept this action.
Daily fantasy sports sites claim exemption under Florida’s skill gaming law. This opinion is debatable. A 1991 opinion from then-Attorney General Robert Butterworthdeclared fantasy sports to be illegal in Florida. A federal grand jury is hearing evidence about whether the activity is legal in the state.
The Florida Legislature banned sweepstakes cafes that use the Internet to award prizes in 2013. This forced subscription poker sites out of the state. Any online gambling site outside of the racing industry is unlicensed and most likely illegal in Florida.
Florida gambling offers a wide variety of options. Florida is one if just six states left where greyhound tracks operate. Horseracing is also legal under the same statute. Tracks may operate race books on simulcasts. Jai Alai is also legal, although its popularity deteriorated with the legalization of other forms of gambling. Florida racetracks may offer live poker and card games.
There is a Florida Lottery that operates within the state. It sells scratch-off tickets and lotto entries.
The Seminole Tribe offers seven casinos in Florida. Its gaming pact permits a monopoly on blackjack and similar house-banked games. Slots and video poker are also spread at these Seminole Florida casinos. These are operated under the Hard Rock brand in major cities.
Dade and Broward Counties have an unusual setup. These two counties may offer slots, video poker and electronic table games.
While it is a gaming-friendly state, Florida gambling laws are strict and have many anti-gambling statutes on the books. These parts of the codified law remain in effect even as Florida gambling policy is liberal. Many of the anti-gambling aspects of the law pertain to masquerading charitable gaming as commercial. For instance, bingo must have a prize pool no higher than $100. It also forbids several forms of Florida online gambling, including daily fantasy sports, according to a previous attorney general opinion. This has not kept sites like FanDuel and DraftKings out of the state.
The main gaming attraction are the Florida casinos owned by the Seminole Tribe. This is where gamblers will find slots, video poker, blackjack, baccarat, and other house-banked card games. The Seminoles hope to expand that to craps and roulette in the next gaming compact. Those games are currently illegal in Florida at any venue except cruise ships that do not open tables until in international waters.
Horse and greyhound racing is the oldest form of Florida gambling. These establishments hit hard times when racing fell out of popularity. Florida permits tracks to operate card clubs. While there were once bet limits in Florida, those are no longer in effect. True no limit games are legal at all card clubs and casinos.
The Seminoles have an exclusivity agreement with the state on house-banked card games, but are currently in dispute. The tribe guaranteed $1 billion to the state. The tax rate is 12% for a net win up to $2 billion. It goes up to 15% for income between $2 billion and $3 billion. This is the highest Seminole table game revenue has ever achieved. Tax rates go up 2.5% for every $500 million, should table game revenue ever reach those limits.
The minimum gambling age in Florida is 18 years for the lottery and bingo, and 21 years for those betting in casinos or the racing tracks.
With nearly 40 locations, there are plenty of Florida casinos to visit and play at. Below you will find a detailed list of the casinos in Florida, including their locations and websites. You can always use our Florida casinos map to guide you to the nearest location.
Casino | Size | Address | Website |
---|---|---|---|
BestBet Jacksonville | 70 Poker Tables | 201 Monument Rd. | www.bestbetjax.com |
BestBet Orange Park | 40 Poker Tables | 455 Park Ave. | www.bestbetjax.com |
Casino Miami | 1,000 Slot Machines | 3500 N.W. 37th Ave. | www.casinomiamijaialai.com |
Creek Entertainment Gretna | 26 Poker Tables | 501 Racetrack Drive | www.creekentertainment.com |
Daytona Beach Poker | 55 Poker Tables | 960 S. Williamson Blvd. | www.daytonagreyhound.com |
Derby Lane | 55 Poker Tables | 10490 Gandy Blvd. N. | www.derbylane.com |
Ebro Poker | 25 Poker Tables | 6558 Dog Track Rd. | www.goebro.com |
Fort Pierce Poker | 25 Poker Tables | 1750 S. Kings Hwy | www.casinomiamijaialai.com |
Gulfstream Park | 800 Slot Machines | 901 S. Federal Hwy | www.gulfstreampark.com |
Hialeah Park | 882 Slot Machines | 2200 E. 4th Ave. | www.hialeahparkcasino.com |
Isle Casino | 1,500 Slot Machines | 777 Isle of Capri Circle | pompano-park.isleofcapricasinos.com |
Jefferson County Poker | 12 Poker Tables | 3079 N. Jefferson St. | www.jckc.us |
Lucky’s Card Room Tampa | 19 Poker Tables | 8300 N. Nebraska Ave. | www.tgtpoker.com |
Magic City Casino | 800 Slot Machines | 450 N.W. 37th Ave. | www.magiccitycasino.com |
Mardi Gras Casino | 900 Slot Machines | 831 N. Federal Hwy | www.mgfla.com |
Melbourne Greyhound Park | 38 Poker Tables | 1100 N. Wickham Rd. | www.mgpark.com |
Miccosukee Resort | 1,900 Slot Machines | 500 S.W. 177th Avenue | www.miccosukee.com |
Naples-Fort Myers Poker | 30 Poker Tables | 10601 Bonita Beach Rd. S.E. | www.naplesfortmyersdogs.com |
Ocala Poker | 28 Poker Tables | 4601 W. Hwy 318 | www.ocalapokerroom.com |
Pensacola Greyhound Track | 25 Poker Tables | 951 Dog Track Rd. | www.pensacolagreyhoundtrack.com |
One-Eyed Jacks – Sarasota | 35 Poker Tables | 5400 Bradenton Rd. | www.skcpoker.com |
Seminole Casino – Brighton | 300 Slot Machines | 17735 Reservation Road | www.seminolebrightoncasino.com |
Seminole Coconut Creek Casino | 2,400 Slot Machines | 5550 N.W. 40th Street | www.seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com |
Seminole Casino Immokalee | 1,200 Slot Machines | 506 South 1st Street | www.seminoleimmokaleecasino.com |
Seminole Hard Rock Casino – Hollywood | 2,500 Slot Machines | 1 Seminole Way | www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com |
Seminole Hard Rock – Tampa | 5,000 Slot Machines | 5223 N. Orient Road | www.seminolehardrocktampa.com |
Tampa Bay Downs | 26 Poker Tables | 11225 Race Track Rd. | www.tampabaydowns.com |
The Casino at Dania Beach | 900 Slot Machines | 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd. | www.casinodaniabeach.com |
Racing won approval in the state legislature in 1931 by just one vote. The Florida Legislature eventually overrode Governor Doyle Carlton’s veto to legalize horse and greyhound racing in Florida. It was the first form of regulated betting in the state after a decade of attempts.
Jai Alai was added four years later. Slot machines were briefly legal between 1935 and 1937 before being repealed by the state legislature.
Florida legalized bingo and other charity games of chance in 1970. No minimum age was introduced making it so that anybody may play bingo in Florida, although most establishments to not admit minors.
The Seminoles were considered a nonprofit organization and were permitted to offer bingo. The largest prize pool for a bingo organizer is $100. The Seminoles decided that this did not pertain to them. The tribe opened high-stakes bingo. They were challenged by Attorney General Bob Butterworth. The Seminoles prevailed after the case made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. This opened the door for more tribal bingo halls in Florida.
Florida voters approved a lottery in 1986. This same ballot initiative saw casinos fail in a landslide.
Poker was approved in 1994 in Broward County and throughout the state in 1996. It took until 2004, after many failed attempts, to legalize casinos on Seminole land. Florida casinos eventually spread to Dade and Broward Counties. The county casinos can only offer slots, video poker, and electronic table games. The Seminole casinos in Florida may offer house-banked table games in addition to these games.
Poker once had a pot limit of $10. This was raised to a $100 buy-in in 2008. All bet limits were dropped in Florida poker rooms in 2010.
A 1991 attorney general opinion stated that fantasy sports were illegal in Florida. Daily fantasy sports sites ignore this opinion. A federal grand jury is investigating the daily fantasy sports industry in the state.
Gambling and casinos are completely legal in Florida.
The minimum Florida gambling age is 18 years for lottery and bingo, and 21 years for casinos and racing.
Off-track betting on horses and greyhounds is the only form of legal online gambling in Florida.
Not according to a 1991 opinion from the state attorney general, but the daily fantasy sites dispute this finding.
Tracks operate live horse and greyhound racing.
Yes, there are tracks that spread Jai Alai.
Yes. Tracks and Seminole casinos throughout Florida offer live poker.
There are no bet limits in Florida.
July 1, 2010. This opened up an extensive market, and Florida has quickly become a great place to play poker.
Voters approved these casinos in separate referendums. State law permits local jurisdictions to approve slots at racetracks. Voters in all other counties rejected the measures.