Amid the dystopian subset of U.S. gambling, Florida’s gaming Seminole Tribe, who have a monopoly on betting in the Sunshine State, have launched online slots–that technically are not “slots” at all–through their tie-in with Hard Rock Bet.
Producing a slick runaround that mimics the look and feel of an online slot, but which is actually within the scope of sports betting, as outcomes depend on past motor racing data rather than RNG-driven reels, the Seminoles have managed to avoid the censors with their product, which bears the clunky–if not unfortunate–title of “Games Powered by Past Motor Races”.
It may be stretching one’s imagination. But, yes, it’s real – if not a reel. Geddit.
And under the Seminole Tribe’s 2021 State Compact, which grants the Tribe exclusive sports betting rights in Florida for 30-years, that distinction is the key to legality.
Online casino games are currently not legal in Florida, but sports betting is – exclusively for the Seminole Tribe.
According to the Compact: “Sports Betting means wagering on any past or future professional sports or athletic event, competition or contest […] or any motor vehicle race, or any portion of any of the foregoing, including but not limited to the individual performance statistics or an athlete or other individual participant in any event or combination of events.”
The Mechanics
The games, which critics have been quick to call “slots in disguise”, have a US$1 minimum wager.
Hard Rock Bet’s on-site description explains:
“For each wager, a player selects the finishing order of the drivers in each of the three past motor races.
“The calculation of the player payout (if any) for each wager is determined by both the player’s successful selections of the finishing orders of the drivers in each of the three races and the probabilities of the drivers that were selected to finish in a particular finishing order based on the statistics of such drives as presented to the player.”
Or in easier-to-understand terms: Players pick the order of finish for three historical races. Payouts are calculated according to the accuracy of those selections, and the preset statistical probabilities of the drivers.
While the concept isn’t entirely new–similar models exist as Historical Horse Racing Terminals–this is the first time such a model appears in Florida in a digital, slot-style format; making it a bold innovation and a potential test of how far the 2021 Compact can be stretched.
Sunshine State’s Golden Monopoly
The Seminole Tribe is no stranger to high-risk innovation.
They previously made gambling history in Florida–and elsewhere–by unilaterally rolling-out online sports betting statewide via a “hub-and-spoke” model – in other words they won legal recognition that iGaming servers could be sited on Tribal land and still offer their product state-wide.
And now, they’re testing the waters of slot-style wagering in the U.S.’s third-largest state (after California and Texas), home to over 22 million residents, roughly six percent of the country’s population.
While the Seminoles aren’t reinventing the wheel, they are leveraging their 30-year gambling monopoly to keep it fresh in Florida and continue to push the boundaries.
