Florida is one of 38 states, including Washington D.C., offering legal sports betting for its residents. Despite the legal market, there are still offshore sportsbooks and casinos that are trying to take business away from the Sunshine State. State regulators are looking into the alleged illegal markets that are attracting customers who are too young to be wagering. Earlier this week, the Florida Gaming Control Commission met to discuss how illegal operators are the top priority for the gaming regulator.
There are ongoing investigations of complaints about how illegal markets are still operating in Florida. It’s extremely difficult for state regulators to crack down on offshore markets that are banned in Florida and outside the country. The Commission’s director of law enforcement, Carl Herold, mentioned the “complexities” that come with online investigation. They are trying to gather as much information as they can. Prohibiting illegal offshore gambling is a top priority for state lawmakers in 2025.
Illegal sports betting markets target a younger audience
Julie Brown is the Commission Vice Chair and she is working with other lawmakers to put an end to offshore wagering. Recently, Brown suggested that the commission’s enforcement division should partner with the Florida Department of Education (DOE). Younger children are being targeted and manipulated by offshore markets. In most states, the legal gambling age is 21. However, illegal offshore markets accept wagers from anyone and do not check to see if the user is under the legal age,
Getting hooked on sports betting in teenage years is how problem gambling starts. Carl Herold noted the Florida Gaming Control Commission is getting reports from parents about their children using offshore markets and having significant debt. Sometimes kids will take their parents’ credit cards to try and pay off money they owe to an illegal bookie. Young children around the country need to be educated on casino wagering and sports betting. Much like kids are taught about the effects of drugs and alcohol, the same needs to happen for betting.
The Commission could take action as early as 2025 to try and put an end to offshore markets in Flordia. There is also talk that state regulators could aim for online sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks. In the Sunshine State, those sites have become a priority for the regulated industry. As of 2025, the only legal betting operator in Florida is Hard Rock Bet and they are owned by the Seminole Tribe. One gaming operator is not enough for a state as large as Flordia. That’s why illegal offshore markets are still of concern in the Sunshine State.