Led by the Seminole tribe, Hard Rock Sportsbook Florida went live in November 2021 for a few short weeks until an appellate court ruling by a federal judge put a stop to that arguing the legality of the operation. Hard Rock Sportsbook Florida has suspended operations and stopped accepting bets on December 4, 2021.
The Hard Rock sportsbook app currently operates in New Jersey and Iowa. It did operate in Florida from November 1, 2021, to December 4, 2021, but has since been suspended until further notice. Sports betting in Florida is legal. However, a federal judge ruled that a specific agreement between the Seminole tribe and the state of Florida was illegal after the betting site had accepted bets for multiple weeks. It’s likely this legal battle will not get resolved until 2023 at the earliest.
When available, Hard Rock will allow you to wager on any of the major sports including, baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer. You can also place bets on other sports such as MMA, Golf, and Tennis. The Hard Rock Florida sports betting site is accessible via web browser and the app is available for download on both Android and iOS devices.
Most sports wagering and casinos offer promos for first-time bettors. Hard Rock Sportsbook is no different. For the launch back in early November 2021, the promo was a $100 in risk-free bets.
When a new user places their first bet, Hard Rock will credit your account up to $100, if that initial bet loses. If you win the bet, you will be credited your winnings and continue to play as you wish. Since there is a lot of uncertainty on when and if the platform will re-open, we don’t know if the promo will be the same.
The only promo that was offered during the Florida launch was the $100 risk-free bet. However, bookmakers do offer new sign-up bonuses and promos often. The $100 risk-free bet is pretty standard and since Hard Rock Florida was the only player in the game, they had no reason to extend any juicier offers.
So, what do we have to look forward to when Hard Rock Florida goes live? Let’s take a look at some of the features it could offer to Florida residents.
Hard Rock Sports Book Florida did not offer live streaming. Hard Rock Betting New Jersey does not offer live streaming either so there is nothing to show that Florida will offer live streaming in the future. Live streaming would allow the user to watch the game they are betting on the right in the app, a feature that other betting sites do offer.
In-game wagering allows you to place bets after a game has started. This is a nice feature to have and Hard Rock Betting Florida does offer this in New Jersey and Iowa. A feature that is likely to be available in the Florida sports betting market.
This allows you to cash out your money before a bet settles, which typically applies to parlays. If a betting site believes you have good odds to complete a parlay, they may offer you a chance to accept a lower payout before the bet settles.
Most sports betting platforms offer this on a case-by-case basis. It’s currently unknown if Hard Rock Florida will offer this.
An odds boost is when a sports gambling site increases the odds in favor of the bettor after the initial lines come out.
The purpose of this is to create a buzz, increasing action on a specific bet. There is no set frequency on when or if a bookmaker will offer an odds boost. Hard Rock Florida did not offer odds boosts during the brief time it was live.
Betting sites such as FanDuel offer features such as cashing out early and live streaming but Hard Rock does not. Hard Rock allows you to bet on all four major sports in addition to MMA, golf, and tennis. The app is pretty simple beyond that and does not offer as many features as other betting sites.
Simple, user-friendly, and great for beginners is how I would describe the Hard Rock betting app and mobile. You can download the app on both Android and iOS devices.
Once downloaded you simply open up the app, click the sign-up link, and fill out the standard new user form. It asks for name, address, email, date of birth, etc. You’ll then be asked to verify your identity by email. Once that is complete, you’re ready to make your first deposit. You can do so in a number of ways including credit card, bank account, and Pay+, to name a few.
Sports bettors in Florida have nice clean, colorful screen to operate with when placing bets. Registering, depositing, and navigating the app is simple and clear cut for users. However, an essential aspect of any online product is speed and smoothness. When a new product launches there will almost always be some kinks to work out and there were a few for the Hard Rock Sportsbook Florida app. Multiple new users reported glitching when navigating the app while others reported more noteworthy issues with collecting their money.
The single most important thing when gambling is money, and not being able to access your funds can be extremely irritating. Users reported their funds being inaccessible for multiple days. The hope is that when mobile sports betting returns, Floridians will enjoy a smooth experience with quick access to their money.
Hard Rock Sportsbook does not offer a plethora of betting options but the few they do offer are simple and easy to understand. You can bet on the four major sports in the United States in addition to soccer, tennis, and MMA. If you’re a novice gambler you will want to start slow and make simple bets on moneylines, spreads, totals, or prop bets. Once you get more comfortable, you can venture into parlays and teasers.
 A moneyline wager is when you select a team to win a game outright. An example of this is selecting the Miami Heat at -110 to beat the Boston Celtics. You bet $100 to win $90 and it doesn’t matter if the Heat win the game by 1 point or 20 points, your bet is a success. Â
The spread represents the projected margin of victory for the favorite team over the underdog. There are three outcomes when betting the spread. Win, loss, and push (when the spread is added to the underdog’s score the teams' tie). In the event of a push, the bettor is refunded their money. An example of a point spread bet is when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are favored by 11.5 points over the New York Jets. Your betting options are Tampa Bay -11.5 or New York +11.5.
A parlay is a combination of multiple bets that rely on each other. All legs of the parlay must be successful in order to win. The odds of winning are less than a single bet, but the payout can be very lucrative. In order to win a parlay, each leg of the bet must be successful.
A total line wager is simply betting on the total amount of points scored in a game. You can bet the over or under on this line. For example, the projected number of points for the Dolphins vs. Patriots NFL game might by 44.5. You bet the game scores over or under 44.5 points.Â
A future bet is when you place a bet where the action does not have an immediate result.  For example, you can place a bet on who will win the NFL MVP in September but will not see the result until February. Â
Short for proposition, a prop bet is a wager you can make that is not connected to the result of a game. For example, you can bet the over/under on a player’s projected number of points scored in a basketball game or you can bet the over/under on the projected number of shots on goal a hockey player will take.Â
Hard Rock offers a simple process to deposit and withdraw your money. Nothing in their methodology seems to be complicated so it makes sense that they made the most important aspect of gambling, the financial transaction, a piece of cake.
Making a deposit is easy, as it should be. Hard Rock welcomes multiple methods of payment including ACH bank transfers, Visa or MasterCard, Play+, PayNearMe, and cash at the casino cage. )
Requesting a payout at Hard Rock via ACH or your Play+ card is easy but not as quick as making a deposit. Withdrawals can take 72 hours to process. There is a shortlist of Hard Rock payout options for electronic transfers but you can skip the 72-hour wait and go directly to the casino cage to make a cash withdrawal.
Hard Rock Sportsbook does not currently offer daily fantasy sports (DFS). However, if you live in Florida, you can play DFS on other sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel Florida. They offer contests such as tournaments, head-to-head, and 50/50. You can also use a site called Prize Picks to place bets on player props. Let’s take a look at how they work.
The user can enter one or multiple lineups in a contest where only the top finishers win money. Every contest is different, but the payouts are typically awarded to the top 30%,10%, and even winner take all. The payout structure for this contest is top-heavy. The higher place you finish in, the more money you win.
A user builds one lineup to compete against one other user. Both players submit the same entry fee. After the operator takes their rake, the remaining funds go to the winner. In the event of a tie, both players receive a payout minus the rake.
This contest is when half of the lineups entered win money and half of them lose. All entries that win, double their money, or close to it after the rake is taken out. This type of contest has the best odds for beginners.
Hard Rock does offer a loyalty program but you can’t earn rewards from sports betting. If you’re looking for a rewards programs for sports bets you can check out DraftKings Florida.
Downloading app is easy as 1-2-3 and can be done from Hard Rock mobile betting website and from the iOS or Android app stores. There isn’t a huge sample size of user data from the app since it was only live for a short time but what we do know is that it’s easy to use and simple to place bets.
The website is pretty basic compared to other sites that cram lots of information on their homepage. There are no blogs or live streaming, options that more experienced bettors may enjoy, but this makes the interface is easy to navigate and simple for beginners. There are icons for each sport along with a sign-up button.
Hard Rock Sportsbook has a strong customer support system in place. They offer email support, a phone hotline, a live chat accessible by the click of a button on their homepage, or even contacting them on Twitter. The live chat and phone support features are available from 6:00 AM to 2:00 am ET daily. Support is available in English.
Hard Rock supplies a FAQ link at the bottom of their homepage next to other supporting links such as about us and responsible gaming. It seems like customer support is a priority for them and a benefit for you. During the sudden shutdown of the Florida bookmaker, I did find a few users asking about their accounts and what was going to happen with their money in some online forums. Hard Rock did send out a detailed tweet promptly when the news broke.
Player safety seems to be a priority for Hard Rock. At the bottom of their homepage, there is a link for patron safety that has a hearty amount of information on the steps they take to ensure safety and privacy.
Some topics they focus on:
On the technical side of things, Hard Rock uses robust encryption software for all their online gaming and to this day there is no knowledge of a security breach. Hard Rock is a large, global organization that houses over 45,000 employees and has had a successful track record since they were founded in 1971.
Sports betting sites and casinos have a duty to provide the consumer education on gambling responsibly and some states require a bookmaker to provide that information to their patrons in order to get licensed to operate. Some online betting sites and casinos have the RG logo at the top of their websites like Hard Rock New Jersey.
Other sites have responsible gaming links listed on footers and some sites you actually need to search for the information. There are links to responsible gaming organizations and phone numbers for those in need of help. Newer sites such as Hard Rock Iowa and Arizona do not display the RG logo but do have links and signage on their homepage. It is to be determined how Hard Rock Florida will display their information.
From what I’ve seen the Hard Rock Sportsbook is a great place for beginners looking to make their first bet. It’s easy to navigate and has all the basic betting options for baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. Making creating an account, depositing, and withdrawing your money is simple and easy. By the time sports betting is live again in Florida, the Hard Rock Sportsbook may have some changes and improvements to what we saw in November 2021. One can only hope any changes will make the betting experience even better.
No, not right now. In late November 2021 a federal judge deemed that a mobile sportsbook allowing people to place bets not on tribal land violates the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.Â
The Hard Rock betting site was suspended indefinitely on December 4, 2021. It likely will not be legal until 2023 at the earliest.Â
Yes, it does. You can play online or on your mobile device. The online casino offers slots, blackjack, and poker. Hard Rock also offers an in-person casino.
In order to use the Hard Rock betting platform, you must be 21 years of age and be present in the state of Florida.
Tim Speros is a veteran content creator for DFS and sports betting. He has over 20 years of experience in the sports industry working with ESPN, Fox Sports, Monumental Sports, the NBA, and the Golden State Warriors.
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