The Sunshine state is a casino haven for many gamblers. Their tribal casinos are dotted across the southern part of the state. They also have pari-mutuel casinos, casino cruises, and agreat state lottery.
As of now, Florida does not allow online casinos or sportsbooks. They were slated to have serious discussions about legalization in 2020. But that now seems postponed to 2021.
Gambling is legal at the state’s tribal casinos and pari-mutuel facilities. The Seminole Tribe of South Florida has operated several brick-and-mortar casinos, paying a flat fee to the state in.
Still, Florida has some exciting opportunities for land-based casino lovers.
Although Florida has a long tradition with some great landbased casinos, it has not legalized online casinos. There have been discussions about legalizing online casinos in the statecapital, but there seems to be little actual motion toward legalization at this point.
Florida does have a state lottery, which can indicate an openness to other forms of betting.
The nearest state where online casinos are legal West Virginia. The online casinos are now operational there!
But, you can still register with a legal online casino while you're in Florida. That means you can get the casino's bonus offers or deposit, and then play whenever you're in stateswhere it's legal. (Do be aware of the casino bonus's expiry date, though.)
Florida has a number of different types of land-based casinos.
There are:
There are three types of Florida casinos:
At the moment there is no serious legislation moving toward widening the land-based betting options in Florida.
There are currently six Florida tribal casinos. The Seminole Tribe has five and the sixth is on the Miccosukee Tribe’s reservation.
The Seminoles signed a compact with the state that allows them to offer traditional Class III gaming machines. As part of their compact, five Seminole casinos are also allowed to offer
All of the Indian casinos are open 24 hours (except Big Cypress) and all offer bingo except for both Seminole Hard Rock Casinos and the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.
The minimum gambling age is 18 at all Indian casinos for bingo or poker and 21 for electronic gaming machines.
There are eight pari-mutuel casinos in Florida.
In early 2005 voters in Broward County (home county of Fort Lauderdale) passed a referendum to allow slot machines at four pari-mutuel facilities within that county and all are now inoperation.
In January 2008 voters in Miami-Dade County also passed a referendum permitting slot machines at four pari-mutuel facilities.
Click HERE to see a list of Florida casino slot machine payback statistics.
South Florida’s pari-mutuel facilities (as well as most pari-mutuels throughout the state), also offer poker.
Admission to all casinos is free and they are allowed to be open a maximum of 18 hours per day during the week and 24 hours on the weekends and some holidays.
If you want to order a drink while playing, be aware that Florida gaming regulations do not allow pari-mutuel casinos to provide free alcoholic beverages.
The casino boats in Florida offer gamblers the opportunity to board ships that cruise offshore where casino gambling is legal. From the west coast, the boats travel nine miles out into the Gulfof Mexico. From the East coast, they travel three miles out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The minimum drinking age on all boats is 21. Due to security restrictions, you must present a photo ID at all casino boats or you will not be allowed to board.
Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Center has nearly 70,000 square feet of casino game space. This includes nearly 2,000 slots.
In addition to casino games, they also have high-stakes bingo.
Seminole Casino Brighton is a 27,000 sq. ft. casino. They have a moderate 400+ slot and gaming machines. They have a number of table games and high-stake bingo.
Seminole Casino Immokalee has 75,000 sq. ft. of casino action. They have over 30 table games, including: blackjack, baccarat, poker, and pai gow, and 3-card poker. This isin addition to a large selection of slots and video poker machines.
Seminole Classic Casino features a 73,500-sq. ft. casino floor with over 1,000 slot machines. They also have live-action table games and a very large high-stakes bingo room.
The recently renovated Seminole Hard Rock Coconut Creek hosts over 2000 Las Vegas-style slots. They also offer around 70 live table games, including blackjack, baccarat, 3-card poker, ultimateTexas hold ’em, pai gow poker, let it ride, Spanish 21, casino war.
The Hard Rock Hollywood has a new 30,000 sq. ft. casino gaming area. It offers nearly 200 table games, 3,100 slot machines, and a new 45-table Poker Room.
If you like size, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is up your alley. It's huge 245,000 sq. ft. casino is the sixth-largest in the world. They have a great selection of slots, andtable games include everything from blackjack to baccarat, Pai Gow, Casino War, and Let It Ride. Their poker room features Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Seven-Card Stud amongother games.
You can easily see all casino locations by using our Florida casinos map. To zoom in, just click the + (plus) sign in the lower right corner of the map, or to zoom out, just click the– (minus) sign in the same area.
To move the map of casinos in Florida, click and hold down either of your mouse buttons. Then use the hand icon to drag the map in whichever direction you desire.
Each of the red icons on the map is a casino location. Just click on any red icon to see the name of the casino at that location.
If you want more information on that casino, simply click again on the casino’s name and it will direct you to another page with detailed information on that particular casino, includingaddress, phone number, toll-free phone number, room rates, casino size, dining information, games offered, availability of discounts for seniors, any special features, and a direct link to thatcasino’s website.
Gambling - legal and otherwise - has a rather long history in Florida. Below is a timeline of the major events in Florida's history of gambling
The minimum gambling age is 18 at all Indian casinos for bingo or poker and 21 for electronic gaming machines.
The minimum gambling age is 18 for pari-mutuel betting or poker and 21 for gaming machines.
The minimum drinking age on all boats is 21. Due to security restrictions, you must present a photo ID at all casino boats or you will not be allowed to board.
Among friends, small-stakes poker is also allowed. There's a maximum bet of $10.
There has been much discussion of legalizing both online casinos and online sportsbooks in Florida. Indeed, it was on the list for discussion in legislation in 2020. But that was before thepandemic.
It is believed that online betting will be prioritized in 2021. The additional tax revenue to the Sunshine State will be a big motivator to seriously consider online casinos andsportsbooks.
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For Florida visitor information call (888) 735-2872 or visit their website at: www.visitflorida.com
Florida slot machine casino gambling consists of eight pari-mutuel racetracks in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, seven tribal casinos, senior center amusement arcades, multi-day cruise ships with onboard casinos, and day-long gambling boats.
I’ve dedicated this weekly series to slot enthusiasts such as yourself as you master casino slots and win your way to success by using this State-By-State Online Resource to improve your slots gambling performance by reviewing your state’s slots gaming industry.
Find my podcast wherever you listen to audio!
The minimum legal gambling age in Florida depends upon the gambling activity:
State gaming regulations have authorized slot machines at pari-mutuel wagering racetracks in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. These counties contain the cities of Miami and Fort Lauderdale in southern Florida.
Coin-operated amusement machines at senior center arcades are not slot machines and fall into the same category as pinball machines, shooting galleries, music machines, and video games.
In Florida, it is legal to own a slot machine privately if it is at least 20 years old.
The gaming control commission is the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering within Florida’s Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR).
Overall, the DBPR authorizes, regulates or provides oversight for Florida’s gaming industries of:
There are over three dozen pari-mutuel wagering facilities in Florida for which the DBPR is responsible, including the eight sites with slot machines. The DBPR does not regulate bingo, the Florida Lottery, coin-operated amusement machines, or day-long casino boats.
Historically, Florida has a long history of gambling, starting 100 years before gaming became legal. For example, at his first hotel, the Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine in 1888, Henry Flagler created the exclusive and famous Bacchus Club Casino.
Tribal gaming originally arrived in Florida with the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988. With it, Florida’s two federally recognized American Indian tribes opened casinos offering Class II bingo-style gaming.
Eventually, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has negotiated a tribal-state compact allowing them to offer Class III Vegas-style gaming at their seven casinos.
However, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida has not completed their gaming compact negotiations, limiting them to Class II bingo-style gaming machines at their single casino.
There are eight pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, seven American Indian tribal casinos, and two daily casino cruise ships based in Florida.
The largest casino in Florida is Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa with 5,000 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood with 3,100 gaming machines.
Eight pari-mutuel racetrack and wagering sites in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties hosting Miami and Fort Lauderdale offer slot machines, including:
The seven tribal casinos are in southern Florida are:
As an alternative to enjoying Florida slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Florida is:
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state or territory to Florida.
Besides multi-day cruise ships with onboard casinos sailing to international destinations, there are two day-long casino cruise boats with onboard Vegas-style gaming available in Florida:
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Florida? If so, join our Florida slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group community.
There, you can meet online and privately share your slots experiences with local slots enthusiasts about playing slot machines in Florida. Join us!
Florida’s pari-mutuel wagering sites with slot machines in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties have a minimum theoretical payout of 85%. Return statistics by month and commercial casino are publicly available by dividing Credits Out by Credits In and multiplying by 100%.
For October 2020, the monthly player win percentages were:
For October 2020, the highest return, again, went to Hialeah Park, with 94.0%, again closely followed by Magic City at 93.4%. The lowest return, also again, went to Isle Casino It’s return was 90.3%.
Florida’s tribal compacts do not require theoretical payout limits on their slot machines, nor do they required to make return statistics publicly available.
Florida slot machine casino gambling consists of eight pari-mutuel racetracks in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties hosting Miami and Fort Lauderdale, seven tribal casinos in southern Florida, senior center arcades with amusement machines, multi-day cruise ships with onboard casinos to international destinations, and several day-long gambling boats which sail to international waters before gambling can commence.
In the last year, Seminole Casino Immokalee has slipped from second largest casino in Florida all the way to sixth place. Why? Because it did not increase in slot machines as had four other once smaller casinos.
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC