1931 |
Horse and dog racing is made legal. |
1935 |
Slot machines are legalized. |
1937 |
Slot machines are outlawed. |
1970 |
Bingo is legalized. |
1978 |
Gambling Casinos Initiative Amendment 9 – voters reject constitutional change for full-scale casino gambling legalization. |
1986 |
Hotel Casino Gambling Initiative – voters reject full-scale casino gambling legalization again. |
1986 |
The lottery is made legal thanks to voters. |
1988 |
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act passed. It allows tribal gambling locations to install video lottery machines. |
1989 |
Penny-ante poker with a maximum pot of $10 at private homes allowed. |
1994 |
Voters rejected an amendment that would legalize high-stakes gambling. |
1996 |
Poker is legalized at pari-mutuel betting facilities but with a maximum pot of $10. |
2004 |
Voters reject the legalization of slot machines at pari-mutuel betting facilities. |
Gambling in Florida has a relatively short history. Its roots can be traced back to 1931 when voters approved horse and dog racing in the state. Later, in 1935, slot machines were also legalized, but that was short-lived, as two years later, they were outlawed again.
The next change in the state's legalization timeline was made in 1970 when bingo was made legal. After that, numerous attempts were made to legalize full-scale casino gambling in 1978, 1986, 1994, and 2004. Regarding legal online gambling in Florida, online sports betting is allowed only at the time of writing this article. For now, only social and sweepstakes options are available if you want to join an online casino.