DraftKings is partially legal in Florida: daily fantasy sports and prediction contests work normally, but the DraftKings Sportsbook and online casino are blocked statewide. The split exists because the Seminole Tribe holds exclusive rights to sports betting under a 2021 compact with the state, while fantasy contests operate under a separate legal track that the Florida Legislature formally authorized in 2025.
What Works on DraftKings in Florida
If you open the DraftKings app from a Florida location, this is what you will find:
- Daily fantasy sports contests across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and other major sports are available for paid entry.
- Prediction-style contests, including Pick6, are available. DraftKings lists Florida among the states where these operate.
- The Sportsbook is geoblocked. You can download the app, but its betting features shut off as soon as your device registers a Florida location.
- Casino and iGaming products are not offered. Florida has not legalized online casino games.
Why the Sportsbook Is Blocked
The DraftKings Sportsbook, and every other commercial sportsbook, cannot operate in Florida because of the 2021 Gaming Compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe, which Florida ratified as law.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 285.710 – Compact Authorization Under the compact, every sports wager placed by someone physically inside Florida is deemed to be “exclusively conducted by the Tribe” through servers located on tribal land.2Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 2021-268 – Implementation of the 2021 Gaming Compact Between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the State of Florida
The practical result is that the Seminole Tribe’s own app, Hard Rock Bet, is currently the only legal way to place a mobile sports bet from anywhere in Florida. It launched statewide in December 2023. No competing operator can legally take sports wagers in the state unless the compact is renegotiated or expires, and neither is on the horizon.
Why DFS Is Legal
Daily fantasy sports sat in a legal gray area in Florida for years. The state never passed a law specifically allowing or banning them, and operators like DraftKings argued their contests were games of skill rather than games of chance. That distinction matters because Florida’s main gambling statute only criminalizes playing a “game of chance” for money.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 849.08 – Gambling DFS outcomes depend on a player’s knowledge of athlete performance, injury news, and matchup data, which operators treated as placing the activity outside the statute.
In 2023 the Florida Gaming Control Commission sent cease-and-desist letters to several smaller online fantasy operators, taking the position that betting on skill contests, including fantasy sports, was a felony absent a specific statutory exemption. The commission did not send letters to DraftKings or FanDuel, so the two largest platforms kept operating.
The gray area closed in 2025. HB 7031, signed into law as Chapter 2025-208, formally authorizes the operation of fantasy sports contests in Florida.4Florida Senate. House Bill 1467 (2025) – Gambling A companion bill analysis confirmed that the measure sets up a regulatory framework for fantasy sports under the Florida Gaming Control Commission.5Florida Senate. HB 1467 – Gambling The licensing and oversight details are still being implemented, but DFS now has explicit legal footing in Florida for the first time.
Age and Location Requirements
You must be at least 18 years old to play daily fantasy sports on DraftKings in Florida. The platform verifies your identity when you open an account by collecting your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and address. Accounts that fail verification stay locked until the issue is resolved.
Where you are matters as much as how old you are. DraftKings uses geofencing that checks your GPS coordinates every time you try to enter a contest, and you need to be physically inside Florida’s borders at the moment you submit an entry. A Florida resident traveling in a state that bans DFS will be blocked, and someone visiting Florida from out of state can play while they are within the geofence. The system enforces the rules of where you are standing, not where you live.
One age difference is worth knowing if you are comparing platforms. Under the Seminole Compact, the minimum age to wager on sports through Hard Rock Bet is 21.1Online Sunshine. Florida Code 285.710 – Compact Authorization That gap does not affect DraftKings users directly, since the Sportsbook is blocked in Florida anyway, but it matters if you are weighing options.
Taxes on DraftKings Winnings
The IRS treats daily fantasy sports winnings as gambling income, which is fully taxable and must be reported on your federal return.6Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 419, Gambling Income and Losses If your net profit from DraftKings reaches $600 or more in a calendar year, DraftKings will issue you and the IRS a Form 1099-MISC reporting the earnings.7Internal Revenue Service. About Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Information Winnings below $600 are still legally reportable; the form simply means the IRS already has a copy.
Florida has no state income tax, so winnings carry no state tax liability. Federal rates depend on your total annual income and range from 10% to 37%.
Deducting Losses
You can deduct DFS losses against your winnings, but only if you itemize deductions on Schedule A, and only up to the amount you won. If you won $2,000 and lost $3,000, your deduction caps at $2,000.6Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 419, Gambling Income and Losses Players who take the standard deduction get no benefit from this rule, so their winnings are taxed and their losses are not recoverable.
Keeping Records
The IRS expects a log of your activity: dates, amounts wagered, amounts won, and the type of contest. DraftKings tracks entries and payouts automatically in your account history, so download your transaction history before tax season and keep it with your return. If you are audited, the IRS will want records supporting both the income you reported and any losses you deducted.