DraftKings moves Seminole Tribe’s Florida suit to federal court

DraftKings has moved the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s gambling lawsuit from state court to federal court, arguing in part that its relationship with the CFTC supports federal officer jurisdiction.

The 9 November notice of removal was filed by DraftKings Inc., GUS III LLC, which does business as DraftKings Predictions, and CEO Jason Robins. The case is now numbered 0:26-cv-63156 in the Southern District of Florida, following proceedings in Broward County.

The notice invokes Railbird’s regulatory role

The defendants argue that Railbird Exchange performs delegated CFTC regulatory functions and that DraftKings acts under a federal officer through that framework. The notice invokes the federal officer removal statute alongside other federal jurisdiction provisions.

Those are the defendants’ grounds for moving the case. Filing the notice does not establish that the court has accepted the argument, that the case will remain in federal court or that either product is lawful.

The underlying October dispute concerns both Predictions event contracts and Pick6. The products should not be treated as interchangeable, or the removal as a ruling that federal derivatives law governs every claim in the lawsuit. No jurisdictional or merits decision was verified for this report.

The litigation comes as DraftKings invests in its Predictions business. Its latest revenue outlook targets $650 million to $750 million from Predictions in 2027. That commercial forecast does not determine the outcome of the tribe’s case.