Updated November 26, 2021 9:59 a.m.
A federal district court judge late Wednesday rejected the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s request to put a temporary hold on the ruling invalidating the tribe’s online sports betting operation, leaving the games in legal limbo over the holiday weekend.
Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia said that the tribe has not shown that it will be irreparably injured if it is not allowed to keep taking bets as it appeals the decision. Friedrich ruled on Monday that the 30-year gaming compact reached between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe last spring violated federal Indian gaming law.
Although the sports betting operation was declared unlawful, the tribe has continued to operate its online betting app throughout the week. It was unclear late Wednesday whether the denial of the request for a stay of the ruling would change that. A spokesperson for the tribe was not immediately available for comment. Bets were still being processed through the app early Thursday morning.
In her Monday ruling, Friedrich concluded that because the compact authorizes online sports betting outside of Indian lands, and because federal law requires that any gambling occur only on tribal land, the compact should never have been approved by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
Read more from our news partner at the Miami Herald.
