Barstool’s Portnoy Joins Fight for Florida Sports-Betting Vote

(Bloomberg) -- Barstool Sports Inc. founder Dave Portnoy is joining the fight to bring more competition to Florida’s sports-betting market.

Portnoy, a controversial podcast host and commentator, urged Florida residents to sign a petition to bring sports-wagering competition up for a vote in the fall election. Florida signed a deal last year with the Seminole Tribe, owners of the Hard Rock brand, to be the exclusive provider of sports betting in the third-most populous state.

Other casino operators have been challenging the agreement in court and trying to gather enough signatures for a ballot measure in November. Barstool has partnered with Penn National Gaming Inc. to offer sports wagering nationally.

“We are fighting tooth and nail,” Portnoy said in a video posted to his Twitter account on Thursday evening. “We need a million signatures.”

Under the Florida agreement, the Seminoles can partner with other operators, which have to pay them a cut of revenue.

“You’ll have one option,” Portnoy told his 2.7 million Twitter followers. “It’s bad for people.”

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