Online sports betting in Florida

Table of contents

Sports betting on the net offers players a fun way to wager on their favorite games and events. On this page, you’ll find all information regarding online sports betting in Florida, the best betting sites, and different types of betting markets available to Florida punters.

Best online sports betting sites in Florida

DraftKings Florida Best betting site for NFL
FanDuel Florida Best betting site for live wagering
PointsBet Florida Best betting site for NHL
BetRivers Florida Best betting site for bonuses

More and more online sports betting sites are appearing in the Florida iGaming market. But the truth is not all betting sites are worthy of your money and time. We’re here to help point you to the sites that can deliver on what they promise.

This part of the page will give you an overview of the four best Florida online gambling sites and their various betting products and services.

DraftKings Florida

Presently, DraftKings is among the country’s top-rated sports wagering, daily fantasy, and online casino providers. The Boston-based firm acquired its name as one of the two largest daily fantasy sports sites in the United States, building a huge fan base as a result.

Leveraging on its success as a household name in the DFS, DraftKings stepped into the sports betting landscape in 2018, and later expanded into online casino gaming in that same year. DraftKings now has a commanding presence, holding sports betting licenses in a good number of states. As a new user of DraftKings Florida, you can claim a generous FL sign-up bonus. Besides the welcome offer, there are several ongoing promotions for old players.

📋 Online betting site: DraftKings Florida
🏅 Expected welcome offer: Bet 10$ get 50$
📱 Mobile app: Yes
📅 Live in Florida: No

FanDuel Florida

This online sports betting operator has been around for over a decade. FanDuel first debuted in 2009 as a daily fantasy sports wagering platform. The operator has since constantly developed new gaming products and expanded both nationally and internationally.

FanDuel finally entered the New Jersey sports betting market in August 2018 and established itself as one of the most reputable and complete internet betting platforms in the United States. One of the most notable things about FanDuel sportsbook is its wide range of sports coverage.

You can wager on major sports like football, soccer, basketball, ice hockey, cricket, and several others. Again, you can use several payment options to get money in and out of your FanDuel account. The banking options available at FanDuel Florida include bank transfer, debit/credit card, prepaid cards, PayNearMe, and e-wallets like PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill.

📋 Online betting site: FanDuel Florida
🏅 Expected welcome offer: 50$ no sweat bet
📱 Mobile app: Yes
📅 Live in Florida: No

PointsBet Florida

Founded back in 2015 in Australia, PointBets is now a popular choice among United States punters. PointsBet entered the US online betting market in 2019, and the operator has been quick to debut in many states in the US, including Illinois, New York, Iowa, New Jersey, and many others. When it comes to sports coverage, Pointsbet doesn’t disappoint.

The operator has one of the biggest sports selections out there. This is something that makes it stand out from the crowd. You can bet on popular choices like football, soccer, basketball, or even tennis. Just like other top-rated US betting sites, PointsBets offers you several ways to deposit and withdraw your winnings. You can perform your online betting transactions using credit/debit cards, prepaid cards, e-checks, online transfers, or e-wallets like PayPal.

Furthermore, PointsBet Florida’s user interface is easy to navigate and clean, allowing you to quickly find the sports and market that you want to wager on with ease. The Feature section of the operator’s site shows you the day’s upcoming sporting events and the most popular sports without stress.

📋 Online betting site: PointsBet Florida
🏅 Expected welcome offer: 20$ no deposit bonus
📱 Mobile app: Yes
📅 Live in Florida: No

BetRivers Florida

SugarHouse and BetRivers fall under the same operating umbrella, and they’ve plenty of the same bells and whistles. BetRivers Florida has a clean interface, plenty of deposit and withdrawal options, and loads of attractive bonuses and promotions. BetRivers sports betting site is a place to familiarize yourself with the way gambling promotional offers work. The operator lists all of its active offers in a dedicated part of the site, available both on mobile and desktop.

Besides great bonuses and promotions, BetRivers offers a wide range of betting markets, such as moneyline, props bet, totals, and spread bets. Again, you’ll find a wide range of sports on the sports betting site, including soccer, football, hockey, basketball, golf, tennis, martial arts, and more.

Deposits are usually and many withdrawal options often take a short period of time, usually between 24 hours and three business days depending on your chosen method. The banking options that you’re likely to find at BetRivers Florida include credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, and PayNearMe.

📋 Online betting site: BetRivers Florida
🏅 Expected welcome offer: 250$ risk-free bet
📱 Mobile app: Yes
📅 Live in Florida: No

No, online sports betting is not legal in Florida. Presently, no form of online gambling is legal in the Sunshine state. Sadly, the 2021 bill that would legalize Florida’s online sports betting got filed with the Federal Register in August but was canceled by a federal court a few months later.

This meant that Hard Rock, the only online betting site in Florida run by the Seminole Tribe, had to close down its online operations in the state. The tribe has since filed an appeal against the verdict. Online sports betting will remain illegal in Florida until a decision is reached on the appeal.

How to bet on sports online in Florida

People have been placing bets on sporting events in one way or another for decades. While the basics of sports betting have remained largely the same, how we make those bets have changed drastically. The rise in internet sports wagering over the last few decades has been incredible, and it has become easier than before to wager on sporting events for real money.

Bookmakers and traditional sports betting brands still take plenty of bets, but a lot of people fancy playing with many of the available FL sports betting apps and betting sites from the comfort of their homes. If you’re new to the Florida online sports betting world, we are here to help you get started. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to begin your FL online sports betting journey.

  1. Find a legit sports betting site in Florida: The first step you need to take when starting your Florida online sports betting journey is to find a legal and reliable gambling site to play with. There are plenty of online sports betting sites to pick from. But the only problem is that not all online sports betting sites offer great gaming products and services. Again, not all online gaming sites are legit. Some were created for the purpose of ripping players off, so you should be very careful when picking an online sportsbook in Florida. When picking an online sports betting site ensure that the operator scores high in customer support, security, banking, bonuses, and promotions. Also, ensure that the operator holds a valid gambling license from a reputable betting body.
  2. Sign up with your personal details: Once you find trustworthy online betting, you’ll need to create an account with them before you will be able to access their gaming products and services. Creating an online sports betting account in Florida is pretty simple. You should be able to complete the whole process within five minutes. Just visit your chosen online gaming site and click Join Now. When you click the Join Now button, you’ll be redirected to a page where you’ll have to provide the betting site with a few of your personal information. The information that most online sports betting sites in Florida are likely to ask for includes first name, last name, phone number, residential address, username, password, and email.
  3. Enter the sportsbook’s latest promo code to receive a betting bonus: Many leading online sports betting sites in Florida usually offer their new players generous welcome bonuses. To claim this offer, you may need to use a promo code. As the name implies, a promo code is a snippet that qualifies you for a specific bonus offer. It typically involves some combination of numbers and letters. Most online sports betting sites advertise their welcome bonus promo code on their website homepage. If you don’t find it there, you can also check for it on their promotion page. Another place where you can find this code is on affiliate websites. Having said all of that, in this step, you will need to enter a bonus code if it’s required. However, you can skip the step if it’s not mentioned.
  4. Deposit with your preferred method: Now that you have successfully created your Florida online sports betting account, you’ll need to fund it before you’ll be able to play for real money. Making deposits into your gaming account is also pretty easy. All you have to do is navigate to your operator’s cashier page, choose your preferred deposit method, enter the amount, and follow the onscreen instruction to finalize the process. Your deposited funds will be created into your account once the betting site approves your deposit request. Many online sports betting sites offer instant deposits. This means that you don’t have to wait for hours for your funds to reflect in your bet account, so you can start betting. That’s why we always recommend that you do your research very well so you can pick the best sportsbook and payment methods. The good news is that you can always rely on our reviews. You’ll find all the important details that you need to stay on top of your online gaming in our reviews.
  5. Bet on sports: This step is the real deal. It is time to feel the excitement that online sports betting brings and also position yourself to make money on the side. To start playing, log in to your online sports betting account and locate the sports section of the site. Once you’re there explore the various available sports to find one that meets your gaming needs. Besides available sports, you should also check markets.

You can do this by clicking on any sporting event that you would like to wager on. Once you click on it, you’ll be taken to a page where you can see all the available betting markets, including Moneyline, props, parlays, and totals. To get the best out of your sports betting, ensure you pick an operator with a wide range of sports market coverage, so you won’t be forced to stick with an option that doesn’t fit your style of play.

Sports teams in Florida to bet on

When it comes to teams to wager on, Florida residents have a wide range of options to choose from. Here’s a list of the teams that you can wager on if you’re within the borders of Florida.

  • Florida Everblades (Hockey)
  • Florida Panthers (Hockey)
  • Miami Marlins (Baseball)
  • Tampa Bay Vipers (Football)
  • Miami FS (Soccer)
  • Jacksonville Armada FS (Soccer)

Online sports bet types in Florida explained

One of the things that make betting on sports exciting is that there are several ways to wager on a sporting event. You don’t necessarily just have to wager on which team will win the match or sporting event, you bet on the total number of goals or points scored, victory margin, and many others. In this part of the guide, we’ll briefly discuss a few of the online sports bet types available to Florida residents.

  • Spread bets. In the United States sports betting landscape, spread bets are one of the most popular wagering options. The basic goal of spread bets is to create an opportunity for bettors to bet on athletes or teams in a given sporting event by examining their relative strengths against each other.
  • Moneyline bets. Of all the bet types, the easiest and most common is Moneyline bets. Betting on a team’s Moneyline simply means that you’re backing the side to win. For instance, if you want Tampa Bay Vipers to win, you’ll bet on their Moneyline. If Tampa Bay Vipers win, your bet wins. However, if Tampa Bay Vipers lose, your bet will lose as well. It’s that simple.
  • Over under bets. Apart from the Moneyline bets, over/under is the most popular sports bet. Punters across the US usually refer to it as point total because you’re wagering on a total to go over or under. For over-bet, you’re waging on the combined number of goals or points scored between sides.
  • Top scorer bets. In this type of bet, you’ll be wagering on the player that you believe will score the highest number of goals. If your prediction is right and your predicted player emerges as the highest goal scorer, your bet will win. However, if your predicted player doesn’t end up being the top scorer, your bet loses.
  • Half-time/ full-time bets . This type of bet involves making a bet on both the half-time result and the full-time result of a sporting event in combination. A wager on the home team to win both halves is represented as a home team/home team (H/H).
  • Middle bets. A middle bet involves punters placing a wager on both sides of the same bet at different lines in an attempt to win both while making sure that at least one of the bets wins. Punters get to have the opportunity to make this type of bet when a line has moved since the initial bet was made.
  • Prop bets. In betting, a prop bet is a wager made regarding the occurrence or non-occurrence during a sporting event not directly affecting the match’s final result. Prop bets are different from the regular wagers for or against a particular side or regarding the total number of goals or points scored.
  • And many more. Besides the bet types discussed above, there are several others that are available to Florida punters. These include handicap betting, live betting, the next team to score, both teams to score, and race to X point.

Betting on online horse racing in FL

The state of Florida does allow betting on horse races online. Plenty of online horse race betting sites operate in the Sunshine State, with the most recognized one being TVG.

TVG offers a wide range of options for wagering on races in FL and the whole country at large. To make things even smoother, TVG boasts a 24-hour broadcast network that’s dedicated to horse races alone. As the Sunshine State betting market continues to develop, several other major horse racing operators began to step into the market.

Caesars Entertainment launched its mobile wagering app at the beginning of June. BetMGM has also established its presence in the Florida market. However, both the BetMGM and Caesars Entertainment online racebooks do not match up with the FanDuel-owned TVG app in terms of market share. In general, all the available top horse race betting providers in the Sunshine State help to offer punters easy-to-use wagering platforms.

The Sunshine State has no specific DFS (Daily fantasy sports) laws. This means that daily fantasy sports operate in a gray area in the state. All the main daily fantasy sports operators are in Florida, including FanDuel and DraftKings. The state has never opposed DFS since its inception in Florida. Although a bill to make it legal was formally introduced in 2021 but failed to advance.

A timeline of online sports betting in Florida

While the Sunshine State is still in the process of legalizing online sports betting, there have been a few important events along the way that we think is essential for you to know. This part of the page will briefly explore the timeline of online sports betting in Florida:

  • March 2020. The lawmaking session ended without any new sports betting legislation. Legislators did try to negotiate with the Seminole Tribe but that did not happen until ten days to the end of the session.
  • March 2021. Governor Ron DeSantis made a public notice that the state is close to reaching an agreement with the Seminole Tribe. The state government officials have been in closed-door meetings with the Seminole Tribe regarding a gambling deal that will help expand the market and make sports betting legal in the state. They actually hoped that an agreement would be reached between both parties before the end of the legislative session in April.
  • April 2012. The state reached an agreement with the Tribe. Governor Ron DeSantis made the details of the long-awaited agreement between the state and the Seminole Tribe public. The agreement actually helped make sports betting legal in Florida.
  • May 2021. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the compact. The Florida legislature body already approved the compact. All the Governor did was pen down his signature. The compact is to generate at least $2.5 billion in new revenue for the state over five years. The FL House on the other hand approved the agreement just a day after the senator okayed the sports wagering agreement. The state House of Representatives also gave their approval. Again, the FL senate voted to okay the agreement. In a 38-1 vote, they approved the agreement between the Seminole Tribe and the state government. On May 17, the special session to examine the legal sports wagering bill started.
  • November 2021. Florida sports wagering compact with the Tribe nullified. On November 22, 2021, Dabney Friedrich, a federal high judge agreed with plaintiff West Flagler Associates, the owners of a casino in the SunShine state, that the decision to permit Seminole Tribe to offer mobile sports betting in Florida when they’re not on tribal land is against the provision of the Indian Gambling Regulation Act.
  • December 2021. The Hard Rock betting app temporarily closed down. The Hard Rock sports betting brand suspended wagering on sporting events on its app on Saturday, Dec. 4 after the Sunshine State compact law with the Seminole Tribe was nullified in November.

Who regulates online sports betting in FL?

Currently, there are no regulated online sports betting sites in the state. Therefore no particular body is regulating it presently. However, the responsibility may be given to the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, since they’re the ones in charge of other gaming regulations in the state such as the authority to perform Florida’s oversight responsibilities in accordance with the provisions outlined in the compact with the Seminole.

FAQ

What is the minimum age to bet on sports online in FL?

The minimum legal gambling age in Florida is 21 for casino games and 18 for lottery games, bingo, poker, and pari-mutuels such as jai alai and horse racing. Currently, we don't know what the minimum age for sports betting will be until it becomes live and legal in the state. But it'll certainly be between 18 and 21 years.

Is online sports betting in Florida secure?

Each licensed sports betting site in Florida is safe and secure. That's why we always advise players to stick with regulated online sports betting sites and resist the temptation of going to gamble with offshore operators. Many offshore betting sites can't be trusted, so they're regulated by any reputable gaming authority. This means that they can run away with your money and not be punished.

Do I pay taxes for online sports bet wins in FL?

Florida has no state income tax. This simply means that you don't have to pay any state tax on sports betting winnings. However, keep in mind that you'll be required to pay federal taxes. In the United States, gambling winnings fall under income tax, so you're expected to report all your gambling winnings to the IRS.