There may be something to the adage: If you can’t beat them, join them. At least that’s how the West Flagler Parties and the Seminole Tribe now see it. After intense and costly legal battles over the Seminole Tribe’s control over Florida’s online gambling, the two sides have found a solution.
Early next year, Jai Alai will be added to the Hard Rock Bet app. With that addition, the West Flagler Parties have agreed to give up all present and future legal challenges to the Seminole Tribes gaming operations.
“This is truly a win-win agreement for the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming. “This agreement establishes a relationship of collaboration among the Seminole Tribe and West Flagler in the State of Florida. Rather than engaging in years of litigation, this agreement will allow the parties to work together to promote Jai Alai, which has played an important role in Florida’s gaming landscape for nearly 100 years.”
Isadore Havenick of West Flagler agreed.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the Seminole Tribe in support of their gaming operations in Florida and to promote Jai Alai, which has been a critical component of Florida’s gaming industry since the 1920s,” he said. “We are proud that Jai Alai will be featured on the Hard Rock Bet app and we look forward to developing a strong partnership with the Seminole Tribe.”
The end of the long, legal battle
Florida has a unique pact with the Seminole Tribe, basically granting it a monopoly to provide online gambling. Other state gambling providers were predictably unhappy with the arrangement. As a result, the “West Flagler Parties” – comprised of the West Flagler Associates, Bonita-Fort Myers Corporation, Southwest Florida Enterprises and Isadore Havenick – took to the courts.
The legal battle went on for years. In 2021, the Seminoles launched online Florida sports betting after signing a 30-year pact with the State of Florida which was initially approved by the federal government. The West Flagler Parties took exception, claiming that online gambling would be effectively conducted on non-tribal lands. Later that year, West Flagler found a judge, sympathetic to their cause.
In November 2021, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich set aside the federal government’s approval of the pact. That decision, however, was appealed. In June 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court’s decision, reestablishing the Seminole Tribe’s exclusive operations. But it didn’t end there.
The West Flagler Parties filed to have the case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. In fact, the case was “distributed for conference” at the Supreme Court. SCOTUS, however, denied the request to hear the case in June, letting the US Court of Appeals decision stand.
It took years for the two sides to duke it out in the courts. After the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case, however, it only took four months for them to find a satisfactory solution. In fact, the partnership between West Flagler and the Seminole Tribe may serve as a template for other online gaming providers looking to find a foothold in the Everglade State.
