Legal sports betting has begun in Florida, with the quiet launch of the Hard Rock Sportsbook app.

Through the app now available on Apple and Android devices, and authorized through the 2021 Florida Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Florida adults can now place bets over their smart phones and other devices on soccer, tennis, basketball, hockey, football, college football, baseball, and other sports.

The opening bets being placed now mark the beginning of a new era of gambling in Florida that should be worth billions of dollars to the Seminole Tribe, which owns Hard Rock Sportsbook, and to the state of Florida, which is assured a cut of at least $500 million a year.

The Legislature approved the Compact in May and the deal received final approval from the U.S. Department of Interior on Aug. 6. Through its terms, the Seminole Tribe was authorized to start taking sports bets Oct. 15. There's been no formal announcement yet, but the action has gone live.

The deal between Florida and the Seminole Tribe is being challenged in court.

Industry publication PlayUSA.com Network with its Florida-based affiliate PlayFL.com, which  tracks and analyzes industry developments, projects the quiet launch of Hard Rock Sportsbook could be the start of a new sports betting market that could eventually generate more than $12 billion annually in wagers, with Florida potentially becoming the nation's largest sports-betting market.

"This somewhat abrupt launch is really just the beginning for a market that has the potential to be the largest in the U.S. for years to come," Eric Ramsey, data analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayFL.com, said in a news release. "With only one sportsbook operator, the ceiling for the moment is low and choices for bettors are limited. But the timing of the launch is pretty much ideal. At this point in the sports calendar, with football basketball in full swing, we should get a nice preview of the appetite for betting in Florida."

Two other potential sportsbook operators, the daily fantasy sports platforms FanDuel and DraftKings, are pushing a constitutional amendment that would let them and others get into the game.

With Hard Rock Sportsbook, gamblers can open an account and transfer in money to wager from PayPal or Venmo.

And yes, as Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who chaired the House Select Committee on Gaming, infamously observed in May, the app works anywhere a smart phone works, including in a bathtub. Technically, under Florida's enabling legislation, any bet placed anywhere in Florida would be considered placed on tribal property, since the computer servers for Hard Rock Sportsbook that receive the wagers are on Seminole Tribe of Florida property.