Seminole Tribe quietly launched a new form of historical racing gambling in Florida on Oct. 28, introducing games based on past motor sports events rather than horse races — despite the state having no explicit legislation for such gaming formats.
The platform, called Games Powered by Past Motor Races, offers 21 different slot-like games to select Hard Rock Bet customers through a mobile app interface, marking a significant development in a state where online casino gambling isn’t expressly permitted.
Unlike traditional Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines that have become economic engines for purses in states like Kentucky and Arkansas, this new variant doesn’t utilize archived Thoroughbred races to determine outcomes.
Industry expert Stephen A. Crystal, founder of SCCG Management, described the Tribe’s legal approach as “clever, narrow, and likely to be tested” in an analysis published just days after the launch.
Crystal noted the unique regulatory environment in Florida, where the Seminole Tribe’s 2021 compact grants them exclusive sports betting rights for 30 years.
“Hard Rock’s new motor-races product appears to drive right down that lane,” Crystal wrote. “It’s conceptually similar to HHR machines, which also rely on archived results, but it’s built within a different legal silo and with motor racing as the data set.”
The legal argument centers on classifying these wagers as bets on sporting events — albeit past ones — which falls under the compact’s sports betting authority. The slot-style animations are merely “entertaining depictions” rather than the bet itself, according to this interpretation.
This development creates direct competition for brick-and-mortar slots at eight licensed pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, including Gulfstream Park.
The industry implications extend far beyond Florida. Crystal suggests this could provide a “playbook” for operators in jurisdictions where online casino gaming is prohibited but sports betting is permitted.
“If Florida regulators bless this at scale and consumer metrics are strong, expect creative riffs: different sports archives, new user-interface presentations, and varied bet-construction mechanics to diversify the game catalog,” Crystal wrote.
The non-branded aspect of these games presents a significant concern for racing interests. Unlike HHR, where horsemen receive revenue shares for the use of past race results, gambling companies could potentially utilize countless other sports archives without compensation to any stakeholders.
PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden addressed these concerns during a quarterly earnings call last Thursday, calling the development “existential” for the gambling industry.
“So now you’re talking about past motor races and sports betting, but it’s spinning a slot machine,” Snowden said. “I would be shocked if prediction market operators, as they’re raising money at significant valuations and seem to be doubling every few months, aren’t talking about this.”
Snowden warned that this could quickly evolve beyond motor sports to other gambling formats: “What would stop you from offering prediction markets and contracts on the next spin of a slot machine, the next hand of blackjack, the next spin of the ball for a roulette table?”
“This is existential. Like we’re going to be talking about this, I think, in a matter of months, not years,” Snowden concluded.
