The lawsuit accuses DraftKings of violating the state’s 2021 Gaming Compact, which gives the Tribe exclusive control over online sports betting in the state.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is suing DraftKings, claiming the online gaming company is illegally offering sports betting in the state and violating the Tribe’s exclusive rights under Florida’s 2021 Gaming Compact.
The 72-page lawsuit, filed Thursday in Broward County, names DraftKings, CEO Jason Robins, and DraftKings Predictions as defendants. The Tribe operates the Hard Rock Bet app and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa.
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Challenge to DraftKings’ products
The complaint targets DraftKings’ Pick6 product and its “Super App,” which the Tribe says functions like a conventional sportsbook despite DraftKings not holding a Florida sports-betting license.
According to the lawsuit, the Super App offers Florida users moneylines, point spreads, over/unders, player prop bets and parlays similar to those available through licensed sportsbooks in other states.
DraftKings markets itself as a prediction-market platform. But the Tribe argues processing those wagers through DraftKings Predictions constitutes betting and does not transform them into financial prediction-market contracts.
The Tribe also accused DraftKings of violating the safeguards required under the Compact, including a minimum betting age of 21, age verification, and restrictions on college player prop bets. The complaint says DraftKings makes its products available to Floridians between 18 and 20.
Other claims
The lawsuit includes a request to stop alleged illegal gambling, a Florida RICO claim against Robins personally, a Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act claim, an unfair-competition claim, and a request to rule on the Tribe’s legal rights under the Compact.
The Tribe is asking a judge to declare Pick6 and sports wagering through the Super App illegal in Florida and to block DraftKings from offering or advertising those products. DraftKings currently advertises its products as running in all 50 states.
The Tribe also seeks restitution, legal fees, and other relief.
Fight over Florida sports betting
The dispute is the latest battle over the 2021 Compact, which gives the Seminole Tribe exclusive statewide rights to mobile sports wagering. Previous federal and state challenges to the agreement have failed, including a three-year legal battle that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear in 2024.
The Tribe argues DraftKings’ operations cut into revenue-sharing payments that help support state and local programs. It says any money recovered through the lawsuit would be marked for consumer-protection and gambling addiction programs.
A spokesman for DraftKings sent 10 Tampa Bay News this statement in response to the lawsuit:
“DraftKings’ prediction markets offering operates in accordance with applicable law and the federal regulatory framework established under the Commodity Exchange Act. Furthermore, DraftKings Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy sports variant centered on a simple ‘more or less’ mechanic tied to individual athlete performance metrics and is not sports betting. While the company has deep respect for Seminole Tribe’s sovereignty, we remain confident in our legal position.”