Casino Stalker | Compacts

New governor for South Dakota might bring shift on gaming

Monday, June 14, 2010

South Dakota tribes might see a shift in gaming under a new governor.

Republican candidate Dennis Daugaard said he will work with tribes if they want to renegotiate their Class III compacts. That's something the current governor has refused to do.

"Federal law requires the governor to negotiate in good faith. I would certainly do that," Daugaard told The Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Daugaard doesn't support an expansion of gaming but said he will consider proposals brought to the state. That could help the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, whose leaders want to build an off-reservation casino near Sioux Falls.

"I would listen to any such proposal as governor," Daugaard told the paper. 'It is the governor's duty to look at every question with an open mind."

Democratic candidate Scott Heidepriem on the other hand supports more gaming. He is concerned about a casino just across the border in Iowa.

"The best case would be no casino," Heidepriem told the paper. "Second would be a casino in South Dakota. The worst case would be a casino in Iowa and none in South Dakota."

The Flandreau Santee Sioux off-reservation casino would need approval from the next state governor. The current governor and his predecessor have fought attempts by tribes to acquire land away from existing reservations.

Get the Story:
South Dakota's GAMBLE (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 6/13)