Hard Rock Bet, the only legal online sportsbook in Florida, is partnering with one of the state’s most cherished sports bars in Duffy’s.
Hard Rock Bet is the retail and online sportsbook of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. On Thursday, the sportsbook brand announced a partnership with Duffy’s Sports Grill that will identify each of the restaurant and bar’s 30 brick-and-mortar locations as an Official Game Day Partner of Hard Rock Bet.
Known for being the home of two-for-one drinks all day, every day, Duffy’s is a Florida institution that dates back almost four decades. Along with its perpetual drink special, Duffy’s is cherished for its burgers, wings, draft list, and many televisions showing live sports.
With a communal sports atmosphere and the passionate fandom of its loyal MVPs, Duffy’s Sports Grill is a perfect complement to Hard Rock Bet. We’re excited to roll with Duffy’s Sports Grill as an official game day partner of Hard Rock Bet, and look forward to driving player engagement and loyalty at their 30 Florida locations,” said Hard Rock Bet Head of Partnerships Nick Menas.
The partnership will bring “exclusive in-person engagements” to Duffy’s locations during major live sporting events.
“Combine Duffy’s legendary gameday experience with the ease and convenience of Hard Rock Bet’s online betting app and you’ve got the ingredients for one incredible watch party,” a release on the pact read.
Florida’s Only Sportsbook
The powerful Seminole Tribe secured a monopoly on sports gambling in the Sunshine State through a new Class III compact it reached with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2021.
A legal challenge brought by a company that at the time owned a casino in Miami and a poker room in Bonita Springs halted the tribe’s online sports gambling business. The complaint alleged the Seminole-DeSantis compacted the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) because wagers would originate off of the tribe’s sovereign land.
After a series of legal rulings, culminating with the Florida Supreme Court and US Supreme Court refusing to take up appeals of lower state and federal court decisions supporting the Seminole-DeSantis terms, the tribe secured exclusive privileges to online sports betting. Lower courts had earlier ruled that the tribe wouldn’t be violating IGRA in accepting online wagers so long as the sportsbook’s computer servers remained on sovereign territory.
The Hard Rock Bet online sportsbook resumed action in Florida on Nov. 7, 2023.
Hard Rock Partnerships
Though Hard Rock Bet won’t face any legal competition, the sportsbook is nonetheless investing in sponsorship deals to promote its mobile betting application.
In September, Hard Rock Bet became the Official Sportsbook of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. The deal allows Hard Rock Bet to use the Jaguars’ likeness in its advertising and to offer exclusive experiences at the team’s EverBank Stadium.
In August, Hard Rock Bet tapped rap superstar Post Malone for its commercial advertising blitz. The advertising campaign titled “Roll With Us” is airing in states where Hard Rock Bet operates, including Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.
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