Seminole Tribe execs, celebs flock to Hard Rock as in-person sports betting begins

Thursday was a day of gambling history for the Sunshine State.

Two Seminole Casinos in Broward County — the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood and the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek — were the first casinos in state history to welcome craps and roulette gambling and in-person sports wagering. Rollouts at other Seminole casinos in Florida, including Tampa, continue through Monday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. in 2021 signed a 30-year gambling deal that included giving the tribe control of sports betting. That deal, which was ratified by the Legislature, also allowed the Seminoles to add craps and roulette to their Florida casinos.

Thursday's opening came after two years of legal battling; there are still cases remaining at the U.S. Supreme Court and the Florida Supreme court.

Florida is now the 37th state — and largest — to offer sports betting in casinos.

Major celebrities at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino as sports betting begins: Mike Tyson, Dwyane Wade, Heather Graham and many more

Celebrities were out in force Thursday, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Jon Bon Jovi, Mike Tyson, Dwyane Wade and Heather Graham.

At 5 p.m., both casinos started accepting wagers on the NFL, college football, NBA and NHL, among other items.

The ceremonial “first bet” was made at the Hard Rock Hollywood by Osceola, who bet $1,000 for the unbeaten Florida State Seminoles to win the Orange Bowl over Georgia.

Mascots from some of Florida's pro sports teams — the Miami Heat (NBA), Florida Panthers (NHL), Miami Marlins (Major League Baseball) and Orlando City (Major League Soccer) were on stage.

In the afternoon, a news conference/ceremony was staged at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek to usher in craps and roulette gambling.

“Florida is a big state, we have 21 million people and have people retired from all over the country here," Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen told The Palm Beach Post. “So I think sports betting will do very well. Definitely an extra incentive (to bet on their native teams)."

The Coconut Creek casino unveiled 32 sports-betting kiosks spread out across the vast gaming oasis. There were only two stations in which live tellers took in bets.

“I think it’s awesome they finally got it here," said West Palm Beach resident Bishop Loper.

“I can’t wait for it to open up. It’s been a while since I did sports betting. I’m excited for it to be here."

A big Dolphins fan, Loper plans to win money on the Dolphins on Monday night as they give 12.5 points against the Tennessee Titans as big favorites. “I’m hoping they make it to the Super Bowl this year," Loper said. “Definitely going to bet on them Monday night."

And Loper likely will put a casino wager on Miami winning its first Super Bowl since 1974. On the Coconut Creek money line, Dolphins are plus-750 (bet $100 to win $750).

Two members of the 90's boy band NSYNC were at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek: Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone, who have homes in Orlando.

“I’m a Pittsburgh and Nashville fan and I live mostly in Nashville," Kirkpatrick said. “I think it’s great. Everyone wants to get in. Football right now is so big. So is basketball. I love when you bet on a game. You watch games you normally wouldn’t watch."

There’s been a lot of courtroom strife before the day could happen. When Florida finally got online betting legalized two years ago, it was shut down quickly because of legal challenges. Two weeks ago, the Hard Rock app restarted taking sports bets. Now, people don’t need a cellphone or computer — they can bet in person at the casino.

“In Florida, you really couldn’t bet sports in a casino," Fatone said. “You had to go to another state."

Craps and roulette now open for business in Florida

The first-ever roll of the dice was done by Osceola at 1:19 p.m. The tribe executive dished a 5 as a phalanx of bettors, including celebrities and high-rollers, surrounded the table. Another tribe executive spun the roulette wheel for the first time at Coconut Creek minutes later Thursday with the little marble landing on black 15.

All ceremonial “first bet" money was funneled to the Hard Rock Heals Foundation, which, according to its site, unites philanthropic efforts with the goal of "making the world a better place by serving people and our planet."

“Most people play slots and blackjack but a lot of people love craps," Allen said. It’s a very exciting game as is roulette. Sports betting is all across the United States — 39 states. We’re excited about it. It’s a great day for the tribe. It’s another step in the journey."

That business journey began in 1957 — referenced several times during the ceremony. That year, the Seminole Tribe was recognized by the U.S. government.

“We have had questions and more questions without answers for the last 2½ years," Osceola said. “We are successful in our endeavors. But the battle continues. Our ancestors made sacrifices. Today we are making history and want to make more history."

One hardened sports bettor, a snowbird from Rome, New York, wasn’t waving any pom-poms.

“It depends on what kind of payoffs they give us," said Bruce, who declined to give his last name. “What they pay in New York and what they pay in Caesar’s (in Las Vegas) and what they pay down here with the Seminoles. We’ll see what the parlays pay out and I’ll go from there."

A parlay is a string of three, four or five bets into one wager, needing to hit all of them to win a big payout.

While one Seminole official crowed, “It’s time to spend your money," Osceola warned, “But ease up on your bets. Don’t get out there all crazy the first time. Pace yourself."

The 2021 deal between the state and the Seminoles allows the tribe to add three casinos on tribal property in Broward County. In exchange, the tribe agreed to pay the state at least $2.5 billion over the first five years and possibly billions of dollars more over the course of the pact.

Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa opened Friday, with celebrities Thomas Rhett (country music star), Michael Carbonaro (actor, magician), Lele Pons (YouTube star and actress), and former NFL stars Marcus Allen and Joe Theismann.

On Monday, Seminole casinos in Immokalee and Okeechobee will welcome the new betting, with more celebrities, including pop star Ashanti, singer Tony Orlando, former NFL coach Jimmy Johnson, former NFL running back Edgerrin James, former NFL defensive end Shawn Swayda, mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz, Rudy Ramos, an actor who appears in the TV show "Yellowstone," and Dierdre Capone, the grandniece of Al Capone.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sports betting Seminole Tribe casinos start taking wagers