Some bear only opaque windows and a buzzer, found by word of mouth. The “game rooms,” as they’re known in the industry, don’t advertise and often don’t appear on Google Maps. The Tampa Bay Times visited nearly 30 gambling arcades to watch this scene play out.

Yet if you are in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco or Manatee County, illegal slots are never far away. With few exceptions, like the Seminole Hard Rock casino on a 9-acre reservation outside Tampa, slot machines are illegal in Tampa Bay - and the rest of the state.

The manager allowed a photo on the condition that the Tampa Bay Times not disclose the game room's exact location.

In exchange, the Tribe would pay the state at least $2.5 billion over the first five years.A gambler plays a slot machine at an arcade in the Kenneth City area of Pinellas County. Under the 30-year deal, the Tribe got control over sports betting and was allowed to add craps and roulette to its casinos. Seminole Hard Rock started hosting online sports betting in Florida in 2021, after the Tribe signed a historic compact with the state of Florida.

The only Floridians currently able to use the Hard Rock Bet app are people who used the app when it first went live in Florida in 2021, and anyone who was an existing member of the Unity by Hard Rock loyalty program.Īnyone else must get on a waiting list to gain early access when the app is ready to go live to all Floridians, according to the Seminole Hard Rock website. After two years of legal drama, the Seminole Tribe made its Hard Rock Bet app available to some Florida users Tuesday.Ī Tribe spokesman confirmed to News 6 that limited access to the Hard Rock Bet platform was now available to existing Florida customers as a way to test the platform.

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