The Sunshine State has seen a ton of growth in the gambling realm over the past handful of years with the expansion of brick and mortar casino and poker action all the way from down south in the 305 through the Mickey Mouse corridor and up to the panhandle that feels it deserves its own time zone. We love you panhandle.

The one area that still is lacking, though, are brick and mortar sportsbooks. Current count = 0. But if you’re looking for a way to bet on sports in Florida, you have options, thanks to the best online Florida sports betting sites and Florida betting apps.

Florida law allows online betting on horses, greyhounds, and fantasy games, as well as few others including games of skill. Online betting is considered anything that you can place an online wager on and that is neither legal nor prohibited in the law. If you came here asking “Is gambling legal in Florida?”, then let’s answer the question: online gambling is legal in Florida. Residents who bet online at a casino site, sportsbook, or play online poker in Florida are neither prosecuted or fined.

Our team has researched and narrowed down the safest and most reliable online bookies for Florida residents. Here are our top picks to get you into the real money Florida sports betting action right away:

The Top 3 Florida Sportsbooks Online

Is Online Sports Betting Allowed In Florida

1. MyBookie – Best Overall Florida Sports Betting Site

• Welcome bonuses often come with free bets
• Live in-play betting on all major sports
• Casino and racebook action available through one account
• Unique sports betting contests like survivor pools and squares

2. BetNow – Best Florida Sportsbook for In-Play Betting Options

• One of the most robust in-game betting platforms on the market
• Variable sign-up bonuses with rollover requirements from 5x-10x
• Annual $1,00,000 college basketball bracket challenge
• Weekly NBA, NFL, and MLB contests

3. Bovada – Best for Multiple Ways to Bet (Poker, Casino, Racebook, and Sports)

• Options to bet sports in Florida, as well as action on casino games, a racebook, and poker
• Rewards and loyalty program where you can redeem points for cash
• Great track record with customer care since founding in 2011
• Deposits available in Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Union Pay, Zelle, and through transfer vouchers

Feature Comparison – MyBookie vs. BetNow vs. Bovada

How to Bet On Sports in Florida – 3 Options

Use Florida Sports Betting Sites Online

The easiest and most straightforward method to bet on sports online in Florida is using FL sports betting sites. You can also download Florida sports betting apps right to your phone. Super convenient!

You can make bets in real-time from your phone without ever leaving the beach, the theme parks, or the mile-long line to get a Publix sub.

Heck, if you don’t want to leave the house, you don’t even have to put your flip flops on if you don’t want to. The best Florida online sportsbooks are the premier option for real money sports betting in the state.

Take a Sports Betting Cruise

Before land-based casinos started popping up in the state of Florida, casino cruises were your only in-person betting option. And while you now have an option for casino action, the cruises still hold one leg up over the brick and mortar establishments—sports betting.

If you’re dead-set on in-person Florida sports gambling, a casino or sports betting cruise could be an option. Typically, these cruises sail from the major ports in the state and go into international waters for a few hours to let people gamble. As long as you don’t get seasick and are able to get a spot (they get busy), it can be fun.

Victory Casino Cruise Line – Port Canaveral, FL

Located across the bridge just north of Melbourne Beach and Patrick Air Force Base is Port Canaveral. This is where the Victory cruise line docks and sails out with its regularly scheduled casino cruises. If you happen to live in one of the neighboring areas, you may be able to snag a free shuttle ride from the company.

In addition to regular sports betting, there are special events in the Victory Casino Cruises Sportsbook Lounge, like Super Bowl parties and tailgates.

Drive to Mississippi

The validity of this solution depends on where you live in Florida and how much you can stand I-10, I-95, and I-75. They’re not as terrible as I-4, but they’re not always the most relaxing of driving. Now that we’ve gotten the Florida road bashing out of the way, let’s talk about this option.

Currently, there are no brick and mortar sportsbooks in the state of Florida, Georgia, or Alabama. The closest option you have is to drive to Biloxi, Mississippi. If you live in the panhandle, that’s not that bad.

However, the farther east and farther south you get in the state of Florida, the farther that drive gets.

Online Sports Betting In Florida Online

• Tallahassee to Biloxi is 304.3 miles via I-10 (4 hours and 25 minutes)
• Gainesville to Biloxi is 450.8 miles via I-10 (6 hours and 47 minutes)
• Orlando to Biloxi is 557.6 miles via I-10 (7 hours and 53 minutes)
• Tampa Bay to Biloxi is 575.7 miles via I-75 and I-10 (8 hours and 2 minutes)
• West Palm Beach to Biloxi is 717.7 miles via the Turnpike and I-10 (10 hours and 5 minutes)
• Miami to Biloxi is 783.4 miles via the Turnpike and I-10 (10 hours and 59 minutes)

Is Betting Online in Florida Legal?

At the close of last year, Florida introduced several pieces of legislature to begin regulating sports betting through the state’s lottery program. S968, S970, and S972 aim to set out the parameters and guidelines for betting in the state as well as the requirements to earn a license. Licenses would cost $100,000 for providers, and holders would be responsible for a 15% revenue tax. Online betting is included in the legislation.

In 2018, the federal government passed legislation removing roadblocks for states to lay out their own guidelines and frameworks for regulated sports betting within their state limits.

Additionally, in the most recent election, Florida voters moved the power to fully legalize and regulate Florida online sports betting out of the hands of legislators and into the hands of the state’s residents.

Because of Amendment 3, Florida voters now control “casino gambling” within the state. We put the exact wording in quotes because there is the debate on whether sports betting falls under the heading of casino gambling, as many would argue it’s a game of skill.

In other words, the legality of online betting in Florida is a gray area. We’d hope to get more clarity in the coming months or years from the state legislature, but nothing is guaranteed.

Are these sites legal? Again, it’s a gray area and two separate discussions—the legality for the site operators and the legality for the bettors. While you’ll need to contact a gaming attorney for a full breakdown (their opinion) of the situation, we can provide this information for color. To date, zero Florida residents or visitors have been in any legal trouble for using Florida online betting sites to our knowledge.

What Parts of Florida Are Most Interested in Sports Betting?

According to Google Trends, the metro in Florida with the most search traffic for information about sports betting is the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

Coming in second, with about 80% of the volume of the Tampa area, is Miami-Ft. Lauderdale. And rounding out the podium finishers is the Orlando-Daytona Beach area with about half the search volume as the Tampa area.

Here’s the top 10 list over the past 12 months in the state of Florida:

1. Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota) FL
2. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale FL
3. Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne FL
4. Gainesville FL
5. West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce FL
6. Myers-Naples FL
7. Tallahassee FL-Thomasville GA
8. Jacksonville FL
9. Mobile AL-Pensacola (Ft. Walton Beach) FL
10. Panama City FL

Professional Sports in Florida – Teams and Popularity Data

While you aren’t required only to bet on Florida teams at these Florida betting sites, it tends to be one of the more popular pastimes, especially with recreational bettors. Additionally, what we have found is that states with more prevalent professional sports markets have a much more flourishing and exciting sports betting community.

Currently, Florida has 10 professional sports teams. The state did have a few more MLS teams a few years back, but lack of interest forced some of those teams to fold.

Speaking of interest, what are the most popular sports to bet on in Florida? What are the most popular sports? While there’s limited data available about what people are betting on, there are some ways we can determine which professional sports in FL are the most popular.

One of the ways we like to do this is by looking at how well professional sports teams in the state can fill their stadiums or arenas. Based on average attendance numbers aggregated for each professional sporting league over a recent season, here are the most popular sports in the state of Florida in order:

Here are some other key takeaways from the data study:

• The Miami Dolphins had the best average attendance capacity percentage over the studied season at 101.20%.
• The Miami Marlins didn’t fare as well. The team had the lowest average attendance capacity percentage over the studied season at 26.70%.
• In the NFL, average capacity percentages ranked the teams in order—the Dolphins first, the Jags second, and the Buccaneers third. However, this may change with all the new talent the Bucs have brought to the Tampa area.

Online Sports Betting In Florida Locations

For those interested, here is the raw data:

Get Started Using Florida Sports Betting Sites Now!

FAQs About Online Sports Betting in Florida

Online Sports Betting Legal Florida

Online Betting In Florida

After a failed legal sports betting attempt in 2020, Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes has introduced a new bill that could give Florida legal sports betting in 2021. The main motivation for Florida to legalize sports betting is tax revenue. The proposed bill would net the state 15% of all revenue and charge each sportsbook a $100,000 licensing fee.

Challenges Facing Florida Sports Betting

Should sports betting clear, it would give Florida much-needed tax revenue. The economy has taken a major hit due to COVID-19 which has increased the need for alternate revenue streams.

Senator Jeff Brandes is a Republican which is the same political party as Governor DeSantis. Theoretically, the relationship between the two in the same party could see that the bill is passed.

However, the bill is conveniently missing a critical piece of legislation in Florida. The Seminole Tribe of Florida is not mentioned at all in the bill that is attempting to legalize sports betting. In order for this bill to pass, there will need to be some clarification on where the Seminole Tribe fits into legalized sports betting. Currently, they have gambling exclusivity in Florida.

It would appear unlikely that they would give up exclusive rights to gambling in the state. Thus, the state and tribe would need to work together to make this a reality.

Legal Sports Betting Cannot Happen Without The Seminole Tribe of Florida

The active bill from Senator Brandes is currently scheduled to reach committee status in March. Should it move past the committee, there would be legitimate optimism about the sports betting opportunity in Florida.

The caveat to this argument from Senator Brandes is that he attempted to pass a similar bill earlier in 2020. At this time, the bill does not include any language related to the monopoly that the Seminole Tribe has on gambling. Should the bill continue to the committee stage, there will need to be discussions with the Seminole Tribe to work together. They will not be left off from this bill so there is a ton of work to do on that end.

Recent Optimism For Florida Sports Bettors

Thankfully, there is some reason for optimism for sports betting in Florida. Hard Rock International recently launched a digital gaming platform in conjunction with the Seminole Tribe. The willingness to work with Hard Rock is a major step forward for the state. With this, it shows that Hard Rock believes that Florida could legalize sports betting sooner rather than later.

The next steps for 2021 sports betting in Florida will be key. First, sports betting will need to move to the committee stage and get through it rather quickly. If the bill were to pass the committee, the bill would hit state legislative bodies. Governor DeSantis would then have the opportunity to sign the bill into law and rules would be ratified.

The absolute best-case scenario for Florida would be sports betting in Q4 2021, which is still ambitious. The Seminole Tribe still holds the keys to everything gambling-related in the state. The tribe’s views will be important to monitor as the revenue-hungry state continues to move forward.