On November 23, 2021, the US District Court for the District of Columbia invalidated a 2021 gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the State of Florida, which permitted mobile sports wagering throughout the state (the Compact). The court found that the Compact violated the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and thus the Department of the Interior violated federal law by allowing the Compact to take effect. As states across the country consider proposals to launch online sports betting, including through partnerships with tribes, they will need to grapple with the complex question of how IGRA, a pre-internet gaming statute, governs agreements with sovereign tribes in their state.
