Florida
Is sports betting legal in Florida? What to know about gambling before you watch the games
What gambling is legal in Florida and what isn’t?
What’s legal? What isn’t?
Getting ready to settle down and watch the games? While you watch the Dolphins face off against the Packers, the Cowboys battle the Giants or the Bears take on the Lions, you might want to put a little money on the results. Can you, legally, in Florida?
Yes, but not everywhere.
Is sports betting legal in Florida?
Yes, but only at casinos on Seminole Tribe lands or through the Seminole Tribe’s mobile app.
In 2021, the Seminole Tribe struck a 30-year deal (known as a gaming compact) with the state to allow sports betting on tribal lands and also allow anyone in Florida to gamble with a mobile app hosted on tribal land, in exchange for paying the state about $20 billion, including $2.5 billion over the first five years. The contract also allowed the Seminoles to add craps and roulette, previously prohibited, to their Florida casinos. Slot machines were already allowed there but illegal anywhere else.
After that, there were years of legal battles between the Seminole Tribe and a group of pari-mutuel companies who challenged the compact, but the challenges consistently lost and all parties finally came to an agreement in October.
What sports betting apps are legal in Florida?
The Hard Rock Bet app (iOS | Android) from the Seminole Tribes is the only approved mobile betting app in Florida.
There are online apps that claim to be based on offshore locations and therefore legal in Florida, but they’re on shaky legal ground.
How can I bet on sports in Florida?
You have three legal options.
- Place in-person bets at one of the Seminole Tribe-controlled casinos where sports gambling has been launched.
- Bet online with the Seminole Tribes’ Hard Rock Bet app or the Hard Rock Bet website.
- Take a gambling cruise that travels three miles out into international waters. Which is sort of fuzzy, legally speaking, but it is an option.
What forms of gambling are currently legal in Florida?
Broadly speaking, Florida currently allows:
- Sports gambling at Seminole-Tribe-run casinos or through the Seminole tribes’ app.
- Some pari-mutuel gambling, including horse racing and cardrooms licensed by the state. Jai alai was added to the Hard Rock Bet app this year as part of the Seminole Tribes’ agreement.
- Casino gambling on lands belonging to the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.
- State-run lotteries and interstate games such as the Powerball and Mega Millions.
- Bingo, raffles and drawings of chance if run by a “charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization.”
- Small social games.
Can I bet on sports among friends in Florida?
Not legally. It is a second-degree misdemeanor to bet on “any trial or contest of skill, speed or power or endurance of human or beast.” It’s even worse to be the person taking the bets, which is a third-degree felony.
There’s some argument over where offshore betting websites fall here, but Florida bans all betting on sports.
Except, for some reason, bowling. Bowling tournaments are exempted from this and are perfectly welcome.
Playing cards and other penny-ante games, defined as “a game or series of games of poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, or mah-jongg in which the winnings of any player in a single round, hand, or game do not exceed $10 in value” are allowed.
What is the legal age for gambling in Florida?
The minimum gambling age is 21 for casino games and 18 for lottery games, poker, bingo, and pari-mutuel betting such as horse racing and jai alai.
STARKVILLE — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin is going to try to be a regular dad for a bit.
Then he’ll make the choice currently tearing him apart.
Ole Miss won one of the most important Egg Bowls in school history on Nov. 28. And yet, the next 24 hours may matter more to Ole Miss than what happened at Davis Wade Stadium.
The No. 6 Rebels beat the Bulldogs 38-19. It’s the third consecutive Egg Bowl win for Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC), cements the Rebels as first-time CFP participants and erases MSU’s (5-7, 1-7) path to a bowl game.
The positive momentum in Oxford could be shattered in one day. It’s up to Kiffin, who said postgame he needs to decide whether to depart for LSU or Florida on Nov. 29. That’s been Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter’s deadline since last week.
“These are hard decisions,” Kiffin said. “You guys have them all the time. You guys (reporters) have to make decisions about jobs you take, where you move. All those things. We get paid a lot so I know ours is under a different spotlight and scrutiny but, you know, a lot of people that are critical of it are the same people that do it all the time.”
Lane Kiffin’s schedule before picking between Ole Miss, LSU or Florida
Kiffin was headed straight from Starkville to Tupelo. In his words, the most important game of his day kicks off at 7 p.m.
Kiffin’s son, Knox, is starting for Oxford High in the MHSAA Class 7A state football. The game starts at 7 p.m.
Kiffin said he lives a day-to-day life. He’ll watch Knox play and leave the decision about his future until later. Sometime after that Kiffin will have to choose what offer to take.
LSU is a big brand with a recent national championship. Florida is where his coaching idol Steve Spurrier became a star, although reports indicated that the Gators are prepared to search elsewhere. Ole Miss is home.
Kiffin will become one of the sports highest-paid coaches regardless. Maybe $13 million, maybe closer to $15 million.
He knows he can’t be just another dad watching his son in Tupelo. Other dads don’t have million-dollar salaries. Other dads don’t generate headlines with their family takes trips to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Gainesville, Florida.
“In other professions it’s a little easier because you get to go to places,” Kiffin said. “You go for a week, see all the schools. The neighborhood and stuff. Then you make the decision. Our jobs are more difficult that way, but I’m not complaining about it.”
Kiffin said he’s found himself missing his father, Monte, who died in 2024. He posted a picture of him on social media on Nov. 27 with he caption “Hero.” He wishes he could ask his dad for advice for his looming decision.
Kiffin doesn’t waver from his early morning hot yoga. It’s likely one of the last things he’ll before his big decision. He has long said it’s the hardest thing he does each day. Until Nov. 21, when he told the Clarion Ledger that it hasn’t been lately.
“Yeah, usually,” Kiffin said Nov. 21. “For most people. Except when you’ve had days like mine lately.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Florida
Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy: Where to watch live Florida high school football playoffs (11/28/2025)
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The road to the 1A state championship runs through Hollywood this Friday night as the upstart True North Classical Academy Titans (10-2) travel to face the perennial powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna Lions (9-2) in a much-anticipated regional final matchup at Zappone Field.
The Titans enter riding high after an explosive 62-28 rout of Saint Andrew’s in last week’s semifinals, showcasing an offense firing on all cylinders at the perfect time.
Meanwhile, the host Lions dispatched Edison 47-18 in their semifinal contest, continuing their quest for another state title to add to their decorated trophy case.
With both teams demonstrating dominant offensive performances in their previous outings, this clash promises to be a high-scoring affair that will test True North’s Cinderella story against Chaminade-Madonna’s championship pedigree in what could be the most exciting 1A playoff game of the season.
Opening kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, November 28 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.
• WATCH: Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy football is livestreaming on NFHS Network
High school championships on NFHS Network
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How to watch Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy football livestream
What: True North Classical Academy looks to continue Cinderella run against powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna in 1A regional final
When: Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, November 28
Where: Zappone Field | Hollywood, Florida
Watch live: Watch Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy live on the NFHS Network
It will be rivalry weekend in the Swamp as the Florida State Seminoles (5-6, 2-6 ACC) take on the Florida Gators (3-8, 2-6 SEC) this Saturday. The FSU vs. UF game will always draw national attention, but this time for reasons different from those in the past.
READ MORE: As draft buzz builds, FSU star Duce Robinson keeps his focus on the Florida Gators
As the ‘Noles kick off at 4:30 p.m. EST, bowl eligibility will be on the line as underdogs for another Sod Game.
Regardless of a Florida win, it would be the first time in more than six decades that both programs finished with losing records and missed a bowl game, a scenario that hasn’t happened since 1961. The Gators are currently 1.5-point favorites in the bout and will be led onto the field by interim head coach Billy Gonzales and quarterback DJ Lagway, who has 2,096 yards, 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions on the season.
Meanwhile, FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos has led one of the nation’s most explosive offenses and leads the ACC in explosive plays, although they’ve had their own struggles on the road, which makes the contest an intriguing one given the two powerhouses’ history.
From the infamous “Choke at the Doak” showdowns to Sugar Bowl rematches, Warrick Dunn’s “spiritual sequel” in 1998 in a game that felt like a return to the same hard-nosed, bruising football that he helped define in the previous years for Florida State.
Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders to Dalvin Cook and Jameis Winston, the rivalry has showcased Hall of Famers, first-round draft picks, and era-defining stars. It’s the kind of matchup that still draws national eyes, with fans set to tune in on ESPN this Saturday.
Records may fade, but the stakes, pride, and audience never do.
Here is how to watch:
Game Information: Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators
Current Records: Florida State (5-6, 2-6 ACC) vs. Florida Gators (3-8, 2-6 SEC)
Date/Time: Saturday, November 29, at 4:30 p.m. EST
Where: Gainesville, Florida – Ben Hill Griffen Stadium (88,548)
TV/Streaming: ESPN2
Commentators: Play-by-Play: Jay Alter, Analyst: Rocky Boiman, Sideline: Marilyn Payne
Radio: Seminole Sports Network channel No. 117 or No. 194/SXM App
Tallahassee – 94.9 FM – WTNT
Ft. Walton Beach – 1400 AM – WFDM
Jacksonville – 690 AM – WZNZ
Tampa – 1010 AM – WHFS
Tampa – 92.1 FM – WHFS
Bainbridge, Ga. – 101.9 FM – WBGE
Brunswick, Ga – 790 AM – WSFN
Waycross, Ga. – 1350 AM – WFNS
Lake City – 1340 AM – WDSR
Marianna – 100.9 FM – WJAQ
Melbourne – 1060 AM – WIXC
Miami/West Palm Beach – 850 AM – WFTL
Orlando – 660 AM – WDYZ
Panama City – 94.5 FM – WFLF
Pensacola – 92.3 FM – WNRP
Port St Lucie – 1590 AM – WPSL
Spread: FSU +1.5 (-120), UF -1.5 (+100)
Over/Under: Over 50.5 (-112), Under 50.5 (-108)
Moneyline: FSU (-108), Florida (-112)
Series History: Florida holds a 38-28-2 lead in the all-time series. Since 2010, Florida State is 9-5 against the Gators and has taken five of the last seven meetings played in Gainesville.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
READ MORE: FSU football’s bizarre special teams chaos defies explanation: ‘once in a lifetime’
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