Casinos in Florida - A Look at Florida's Brick and Mortar Casino Options In 2024
As one of America’s biggest states sporting one of the nation’s most enthusiastic gambling populations, it’s surprising that there aren’t more resort casinos in Florida. After all, the state has a booming tourist industry, and there’s plenty of space for casinos up and down the peninsula.
However, there are only a few proper brick-and-mortar FL casinos, and most of them are concentrated in the central and southern parts of the Sunshine State. The rest of Florida has easy access to racinos, but these don’t offer the same game types that proper casinos do, leaving many millions of gamblers out of luck.
Fortunately, online Florida casinos are available from reputable offshore operators, and FL residents and visitors can easily utilize FL deposit and withdrawal methods to play real money casino games at these trusted online gambling sites.
Of course, for the real casino experience, brick-and-mortar retail venues will always be your best bet. To that end, check out our comprehensive map of casinos in Florida to enjoy the best gambling the state has to offer.
Best Online Florida Casino Sites For 2024
| Site | Bonus | Rating | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 100% Up To $3,000 | 4.9 | Visit SiteFull Review |
 | 200% Up To $5,000 | 4.7 | Visit SiteFull Review |
 | 350% Up To $2,500 | 4.6 | Visit SiteFull Review |
 | 325% Up To $9,750 | 4.5 | Visit SiteFull Review |
Are Casinos Legal In Florida In 2024?
Yes! There are seven legitimate casinos in Florida, six of which are operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and one by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. These are the only “real” casinos in the state, as they all offer Class III gaming of the sort you’d find in Las Vegas.
That said, FL is also home to a huge number of card rooms or “racino” venues. These don’t offer traditional casino gambling, but they do have many other options for gamblers to be aware of. And with 27 such locations spread throughout the state, they are more accessible than Florida’s casino operations.
You can learn more about the intricacies of Florida gambling laws by reading Chapter 849 of the Florida Statutes. This shines the light on everything you need to know about the casino industry in the Sunshine State.
For FL’s pari-mutuel gaming laws, Chapter 550 covers the state’s horse racing and jai alai legislation. Florida dog tracks, however, are no longer operational, as greyhound racing was banned in the state in 2020.
Commercial Casinos In Florida
Technically speaking, there are no commercial casinos in Florida – at least, not in the traditional sense. The state’s tribal compacts do not allow for commercial operations (Caesars, Harrah’s, MGM, etc.), though lobbies for these companies have been trying to change the gambling landscape in the state to let them bring these brands to FL.
That said, there are numerous commercial gambling venues scattered throughout FL, mostly in the form of card rooms at and adjacent to various horse and dog tracks. These are commonly called “racinos” and are covered later in this Florida casino guide.
Indian Casinos In Florida
All proper Vegas-style casinos in Florida are tribal Class III casinos operated by the Seminole or Miccosukee. There are seven such venues, and they all offer traditional table games (blackjack, baccarat, etc.) and slots.
In fact, slots are the main differentiator between FL’s Indian casinos and the limited commercial gambling operations in the state. Tribal venues are the only casinos in Florida with slot machines, as all other retail gambling outlets rely on so-called video lottery terminals, or VLTs.
VLTs look like slots, but they are lottery-based amusements and do not work the same way (or offer nearly the same fun – or payouts! – that proper slots do). Florida Indian casinos are the only FL venues that can offer house-banked poker, as well.
The following tribal facilities all support the full slate of games you’d expect to find in any major gambling district, and two of them – the Hard Rock Casino Florida locations – are considered to be the best casinos in Florida:
- Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Center – Miami, FL
- Seminole Casino Brighton – Okeechobee, FL
- Seminole Casino Immokalee – Immokalee, FL
- Seminole Casino Coconut Creek – Coconut Creek, FL
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood – Hollywood, FL
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa – Tampa, FL
- Seminole Classic Casino – Hollywood, FL
Casino Hotels In Florida
There aren’t many actual casino resorts in Florida, as only a few of the biggest venues offer lodgings and other vacation accommodations to guests.
The casino hotel resort in FL with the most rooms is the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood (aka the “Florida Guitar Casino” due to its guitar-shaped hotel tower), while the smallest is the Seminole Casino in Immokalee.
- Miccosukee Resort & Gaming - 312 rooms
- Seminole Casino Immokalee - 100 rooms
- Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood - 1271 rooms
- Seminole Hard Tock Tampa - 800+ rooms
For all other casinos and racinos in FL, you will find the typical assortment of nearby lodgings from major hotel chains, and you can often get special rates by utilizing promotional packages that the associated gambling venues offer.
Casino Boats In Florida
If you want to take a casino cruise, Florida residents and visitors are in luck, as there is still one active operation out of Cape Canaveral.
There used to be more casino boats in Florida, but this aspect of the industry is largely on the outs all across the US. In other words, with the exception of Victory Casino Cruises in Port Canaveral, that ship has sailed.
The sole remaining FL casino cruise line offers a full complement of real casino games, including slots, blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, Texas Hold ‘Em, and more. However, since you can only play these once the ship is in international waters, it’s not technically a Florida casino, and it doesn’t violate the state’s existing tribal compacts.