The committee was chaired by John Sowinski, the longtime leader of No Casinos. Somewhat ironically, the Seminole Tribe contributed more than $24 million to Voters in Charge, a political committee created to help pass the amendment, according to finance records.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or IGRA, plays a key role in tribal gambling issues across the country. The amendment said “nothing herein shall be construed to limit the ability of the state or Native American tribes to negotiate gaming compacts pursuant to the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act for the conduct of casino gambling on tribal lands, or to affect any existing gambling on tribal lands pursuant to compacts executed by the state and Native American tribes pursuant to IGRA.” But it also included an exception for gambling that takes place on tribal lands. The constitutional amendment, approved by 71 percent of voters, applies to types of gambling found in casinos and to types of gambling that are considered Class III under federal law. “Sports betting that would take ‘Indian gaming’ off the reservation and into everyone’s hand-held device cannot be squared with the will of the people who voted for Amendment 3, and No Casinos, Inc., would assist the (Supreme) Court in seeing how those policy concerns undergird and support the legal arguments, as set forth in the petition (filed by the pari-mutuel companies),” the motion said. In Thursday’s motion, No Casinos pointed to longstanding concerns that Florida “not be overrun with gambling, forever changing the appearance, attitude, and atmosphere of Florida, such that gambling becomes as pervasive as palm trees.” The deal said bets “using a mobile app or other electronic device, shall be deemed to be exclusively conducted by the tribe.” signed the deal, known as a compact, in 2021 and state lawmakers ratified it.Ī “hub-and-spoke” plan in the agreement allowed the Seminoles to accept sports wagers from mobile devices anywhere in the state, with the bets run through servers on tribal land. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola, Jr. The pari-mutuel companies West Flagler Associates and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., allege in a lawsuit filed last month at the Supreme Court that the sports-betting plan violates the constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 3. Looking for MORE trusted news? Subscribe to WFSU's Daily News to receive all the day's stories right in your inbox.

Seminole hardrock monopoly on casinos