Sports betting is online in Florida once again after the Seminole Tribe of Florida did a soft relaunch of the Hard Rock Bet app on Tuesday.
The Florida sports betting app was available briefly in 2021 before it was forced to shut down. While the soft launch is good news for the Florida sports betting market, only customers who previously signed up for an account, as well as select Hard Rock rewards members will be able to access the app.
That means most residents will still have to wait for further action from regulators or the Seminole Tribe of Florida. For now, there is no word on when the Hard Rock Bet app will be available to every resident in the state.
Florida Sports Betting Is Officially Legal With Hard Rock App Relaunch
Last month, the Supreme Court denied a request to stop the Seminole Tribe of Florida from offering online sports betting.
The decision made it only a matter of time before the Hard Rock app came back online. According to sports betting expert Ben Fawkes, retail betting is set to launch in one month at several casinos on December 7th.
While the relaunch of Hard Rock Bet is a victory for sports fans in the state, it will also prevent regulated sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings from joining the Florida sports betting market.
For now, sports betting in Florida will remain legal until the matter settles itself in court, likely in 2024.
Until then, the relaunch of Hard Rock Bet makes Florida the largest U.S. state with legal sports betting. California and Texas are the only U.S. states with a larger population but both states have yet to open their doors to legal sportsbooks.
Hard Rock Bet Prepares For Wider Launch With New Hire
Hard Rock remains committed to providing legal sports betting to all residents in the state of Florida.
The soft launch will allow pre-existing customers and select Hard Rock rewards members to test out the platform before making it available to the general public.
With a bigger launch right around the corner, the group hired Martin Graham Arthur to serve as its new Director of Product Operations.
Arthur had a long tenure with PokerStars and most recently spent the past four years as the VP of Product and Program Management for Flutter.
The addition of Arthur will give Hard Rock Bet the experience and expertise necessary to navigate a changing sports betting market.