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- The Seminole Tribe of Florida has filed a sweeping 72-page lawsuit in state court against DraftKings and CEO Jason Robins, alleging that the operator’s Pick6 daily fantasy contests and sports-prediction products constitute illegal sports betting that violates the tribe’s exclusive gaming compact.
- Seeking an immediate injunction and damages under Florida’s RICO and deceptive trade practices laws, the tribe argues that there is no functional difference between DraftKings’ current offerings in the state and the regulated player prop wagers exclusively authorized through the tribe’s Hard Rock Bet platform. DraftKings has strongly rejected the claims, maintaining that its products comply with federal commodity and fantasy sports frameworks.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has sued DraftKings, CEO Jason Robins, and DraftKings Predictions in Florida state court, alleging the company’s Pick6 and sports contract products amount to illegal sports betting in the state.
The lawsuit, filed in the Circuit Court of the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County, targets a key question in U.S. gambling law: whether prediction-market and fantasy-style products cross the line into sportsbook wagering. That matters in Florida because the tribe holds exclusive online sports betting rights under its 2021 compact with the state through Hard Rock Bet.
According to the source report, the tribe filed a 72-page complaint with five counts, including claims under Florida’s RICO law, the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, and unfair competition. The tribe is seeking an injunction to stop DraftKings from operating, advertising, or processing what it says are sports wagers in Florida, along with disgorgement of Florida profits, nominal damages, legal fees, interest, and permission to later pursue punitive damages.
The complaint argues that DraftKings users in Florida can wager on moneylines, point spreads, game totals, player performances, and combinations of outcomes through the app. It says there is “no distinction — visual, functional, or experiential” between those products and bets offered through DraftKings’ licensed sportsbook in other states.
Tribe says products violate exclusive Florida compact rights
The Seminole Tribe argues that DraftKings Pick6 is effectively the same as player prop betting. In the complaint, the tribe says Pick6 is “functionally identical to the ‘player prop bets’ offered by every regulated sportsbook in the country, including the Tribe’s legally operated ‘Hard Rock Bet’ business.”
The dispute is tied to the tribe’s gaming compact with Florida, which grants it exclusive rights to offer online sports betting in the state. The compact also includes revenue-sharing payments with a guaranteed minimum of $2.5 billion during the first five years.
Earlier challenges to that compact failed in federal and state court, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear one challenge in 2024. The RG.org report also cited comments from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said the tribe was “given the purview on the sports betting” and that “the agreement clearly contemplated that they would have the ability to run this in Florida.”
DraftKings rejects the allegations
DraftKings disputed the tribe’s claims and said its offerings comply with current law. A company spokesperson said DraftKings’ prediction markets operate “in accordance with applicable law and the federal regulatory framework established under the Commodity Exchange Act.”
The spokesperson also said 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.”
According to the report, DraftKings Sportsbook and DraftKings Casino are not available in Florida, but the company’s app is available there with prediction markets, free-to-play pools, pick’em contests, and horse racing.
The allegations in the complaint have not been tested in court. The next issue to watch is whether the Broward County court allows the case to proceed and whether it grants any of the tribe’s requested injunctive relief.
Source: As reported by Sergey Demidov.
