Online gambling in Florida
Florida is a prominent state in the USA. The motto of the State is “In God We Trust.” It has a population of nearly 20 million people. The gambling scene in Florida has never been easy to understand. Florida is home to several prominent land-based casinos. However, there are no online casinos that are based in Florida. In 1931, all forms of gambling were made illegal in Florida. Just four years later in 1935, different slot machines were legalized in FL. Many county governments opposed this change, and as a result, the lawmakers of Florida repealed the legislation of slot machines in 1937. This series of events laid the foundation of unclear law of gambling in Florida. This lack of clarity exists even today.
With the advent of the internet, like many other businesses, casinos too developed an online presence. This shift in trends saw the creation of several online casinos for not only USA players but for players all over the world. The laws of Florida failed to deal with this change effectively. Presently, there are several land-based casinos in FL. However, there is a strict ban on the operations of any online casino based in Florida. Still, the citizens of FL are allowed to play online casino games on sites that are based outside of the state. That’s how gamblers can deal with online casinos for USA players. Hence, there is a lack of clarity in the laws of online gambling in Florida for its citizens.
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Laws of gambling in Florida
When the pages of history about gambling and casino in Florida are turned, it can be observed that the different legal aspects of gambling in Florida have always been shaky and unclear. Presently, there are various laws in Florida that deem any gambling activity as illegal. For example, Section 849.08 of the Florida state constitution classifies any game of cards that involves money except Jai-alai as a misdemeanor of the second degree. However, section 849.14 of the state constitution classifies the authorized card-room games as legal. Apart from this, there are several other sources of gambling that are legal in the state of Florida. For example, a state lottery is a prominent form of gambling that is also legal. Also, bets on hound races are legal and accessible throughout the state. However, the inclinations of the state are more towards being conservative. As a result, there are various restrictions on many other forms of gambling in Florida. Sports betting in physical as well as online form is completely banned in the state. Moreover, there are no indications of this law changing shortly. A recent law was passed, and according to this law, the illegal status of various forms of gambling cannot change in the state unless a state-wide vote is conducted in its favor. However, the players have found a way around the laws to fulfill their gaming needs. Cruise ship gaming is the way gamblers found for this purpose. In cruise ship gaming, the players set sail a few miles into the ocean which brings them to the international waters. Here, the laws that make gambling illegal are not applicable.
Prominent land-based casinos in Florida
As compared to other states, there are not many land-based casinos in FL. However, there are still some decent casinos in Florida. The following are some of them:
Online gambling in Florida
As mentioned before, Section 849.08 of the Florida State Constitution deems any game that involves cards, roulette, faro, and other similar means to play as illegal and a second-degree misdemeanor. This law applies to online gambling, Florida as well. However, the residents of Florida can easily play online casino games on sites that are based outside of the state. This practice is fairly common among the gamblers of this state. As the government cannot track what goes on in your living rooms, there is nothing to worry about. The laws against online gambling may change in the future with the replacement of Governor Rick Scott. Governor Rick Scott is actively against gambling of any form. Especially when it comes to online gambling, he is very stringent in taking action against them. Many believe that he is against the online casinos so strictly because one of his major donors is Sheldon Adelson, who is a billionaire. Sheldon Adelson runs some of the biggest land-based casinos in the world, and it is a known fact that online casinos significantly cut down the profits of land-based casinos. However, there is no actual proof to support this claim, and it is still a conspiracy theory. The governor has not commented on this allegation yet.
Banking options in Florida
The banking options are one of the prime concerns of any online casino Florida player. The banking options that are commonly used by each website are MasterCard, Visa, Neteller, and Skrill. One other new addition to this list has been in the form of Bitcoin. The payout rate of these banking options is instant in most cases. You can also transfer payments by the use of a cheque. However, methods like cheques may take longer than digital payment transfers. One shortcoming of digital means is the issue of security. Although the online casino sites take prudent measures to enhance the security, there is still the looming threat of all your personal information like credit card details falling into the wrong hands.
Features to identify the best Florida online casinos
Nowadays, in order to get logged in to the online casino, it is absolutely not necessary to be next to your computer. Thanks to modern technology, you can visit your favorite virtual gambling area from almost anywhere in the world - thanks to gadgets and special mobile applications. Thus, you can play whenever your heart desires - at lunchtime, during vacation, while you get to work back and forth in public transport, or when you are sitting in a shopping center waiting for your soul mate, who is interested in shopping. However, it is vital to understand that online gambling is risky, and choosing a reliable casino is a very important thing.
As mentioned above, there are scads of websites at your disposal for online gambling Florida. Hence, the players need to be educated about what aspects they must look for when choosing an option of Florida online gambling. The following are some useful pointers in this regard:
- The site must be fully licensed and legal.
- The website must have at least a 128-bit standard SSL encryption.
- Payout methods must be fast and reliable. Reputable names like Visa and MasterCard are trustworthy sources.
- To fully enjoy the online casino, the bonus needs to be handsome.
- The site must have a dedicated system of customer service.
