Guide to Florida Gambling and Online Roulette

Before we start with the topic of online casinos in Florida, let's briefly talk about the history of gambling regulations in this state. Until the 1930s, there was no regulation of gambling, and there were many gambling dens in the southern part of the state. In 1931, work began to make gambling legal and betting on horse racing & dog racing was legalized first. In 1935, slot machines and betting on a sport called “Jai-alai” also became legal.

But that didn't last long: Florida was a very conservative state at the time, and slot machines were banned again in 1937. It was in 1970 that they even made bingo legal. In case you were wondering, the lottery even became legal much later, in 1986. It was also forbidden to open a land-based casino in the state until 1988, but this right was given to Indian tribes due to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which came into effect the same year. (However, the general land-based casino ban still remains.)

Since the early 1990s, some types of bets and card games have been legalized with various limits. Likewise, card rooms began to be allowed. However, if we make a general assessment, we can say that gambling is still a problematic topic: Online gambling is completely banned (so no online casinos in Florida) and land-based gambling is subject to many restrictions. If you want to play online roulette in Florida, you cannot play at FL online casinos, but you can do so at other sites we recommend: We'll tell you more about this below.

To summarize:

• All forms of online gambling are considered illegal.
• Land-based casinos can only be opened in Indian territories (banned in other regions)
• Sports betting is a service that can only be offered in land-based establishments and is subject to various restrictions.
• Only card rooms are allowed in non-Indian territory, but there are bet limits on the games that can be played here.
• Lottery and bingo are legal, but Florida is among the latest states to legalize both.

In this respect, we can say that Florida gambling laws are similar to California's: Florida is just a bit more liberal with sports betting. So, who regulates gambling in this state?

• The only regulatory agency for tribal casinos within the Indian territory is the Seminole tribe. Although the Governor's Office has supervisory authority, practically all licensing and supervision is handled by this tribe. So, if you want to open a casino in the Indian territory, this is the authority you should apply to.
• All other activities within the state that fall within the scope of gambling are actually overseen by the Slot Operations Office of the Pari-Mutuel Wagering Division, which was set up to regulate sports betting. Pari-mutual betting offices can offer slot games with certain restrictions and this office was set up to oversee these games. However, in practice, it also deals with other licensing processes (e.g., card room applications).
• Florida also has a Gaming Control Commission, but its job is not to issue licenses. The commission is created to monitor and prevent illegal gambling. So, you can think of it as a kind of “police”: It focuses on unlicensed gambling businesses.

In general, sports betting is not legal in Florida, but an exception is made for two sports: horse racing and dog racing. You can only place pari-mutual bets for these two sports. Off-track, intertrack, and harness racing bets are also allowed. However, you cannot bet on sports other than these, and you cannot place a bet on these sports other than pari-mutuel. This term refers to a system in which all wagers are transferred to the same pool and distributed according to how accurate the predictions are.

Pari-mutual betting can only be played at horse racing and dog racing facilities. In other words, it is not possible to place bets online, you have to physically go to these buildings. As we mentioned above, slot machines are also allowed in these buildings with certain betting and payment restrictions. (However, for this, the majority of voters in the county where that building is located must have given permission.) It is possible to have up to 2,000 slot machines inside the pari-mutuel wagering facilities. However, for this, it is necessary to pay a license fee of more than 2 million dollars.

You can only play table games at land-based casinos in the Indian territory and this includes roulette. These casinos are not very large establishments (they have about 1,000 slot machines and a smaller number of table games) and they are not more than a dozen in number. However, they still offer an adequate service and allow you to play games such as poker, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and craps.

In addition to these, it is possible to play in licensed card rooms, but as the name suggests, only card games are played in them. You can play any card game you want in these rooms, but there is a 10-dollar betting limit. Almost any game, including mah-jong, is allowed as long as it doesn't exceed this limit, but real casino games like roulette and craps are still banned. You can find these rooms by simply searching for “poker rooms” or “card club” on Google Maps: the most options are in the Tampa area.

You have two options for playing slot machines: you can go to one of the tribal casinos or you can visit a pari-mutuel betting facility. However, slot games offered as an extension of pari-mutuel betting may not be exactly what you are looking for because these games have strict bet/payout restrictions. What's more, they're not available at every facility: If the majority of voters in that area don't approve this service extension, the facility cannot offer slots.

Despite this, there are thousands of slot machines in such facilities, and you can find more than 1,000 slots in tribal casinos. These casinos are not subject to the restrictions of betting facilities, therefore we can say that they offer a more enjoyable experience.

Both lottery and bingo have been legal in Florida for over 30 years. The state has its own official lottery, and you can also buy Mega Millions & Powerball tickets. There are more than 10,000 licensed retailer shops selling lottery tickets in Florida, and it is possible to purchase tickets with mobile applications.

Bingo games are considered legal, but they can only be organized by the state. You can join them on Florida Lottery's official site. Private individuals and companies are only allowed to organize bingo for charity purposes.

As we mentioned above, there are land-based casinos in Florida, but they can only be opened by the Seminole tribe and in the Indian territory. There are seven casinos in total, but they have multiple pending lawsuits with the state of Florida about what games can be offered and how much of their revenue they should share. For example, blackjack is only available in five of the seven casinos. When the tribe refused to share their income, the state took away their monopoly on slot machines and, as we mentioned above, allowed pari-mutual betting facilities to offer these games as well.

This is a legal battle that has been going on for quite some time, and how it will turn out is currently unknown. But the trend shows that Florida wants to abolish tribal monopoly and is considering gradually legalizing gambling. Tribal casinos have to pay taxes of up to 35% and share their profits with the state at rates ranging from 12% to 25%. Children under the age of 21 are not admitted to the casinos and alcoholic beverages are not served in the facilities. It is also not possible for them to offer their services online.

Despite all these restrictions, it is still possible to play online casino games from Florida, but for this job, you need to use offshore casinos. Like most US states, Florida gambling laws do not contain clear provisions about online gambling and do not impose any sanctions on players. In other words, there is no law preventing you from playing offshore casino sites. Offshore casinos are your only option to access a large number of roulette and other casino games and play them with advantageous bonuses.

Now you've learned everything you need to know about gambling laws in Florida and you found out what is allowed and what is not. It is not possible to open an online casino in the state until current laws change, but the internet offers hundreds of options. We have selected and listed the best of them for you: You can have an enjoyable and rewarding experience at any of the casinos we recommend in this guide. Whether you want to try roulette or other casino games, you can find everything you are looking for on these sites and earn a different bonus with every deposit. Choose one, register, and start playing right now: good luck!