Tribes weigh in on efforts to legalize sports betting in South Dakota

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Posted by Fort Randall Casino/Hotel on Friday, July 13, 2018

A bill that opens the door to sports betting is moving forward in the South Dakota Legislature.

The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and the Yankton Sioux Tribe have voiced support for Senate Joint Resolution 2 because it would allow them to offer such wagers at their facilities, in addition to those in the gambling town of Deadwood, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. But they would object if sports betting spreads further, the paper said.

Senate Joint Resolution 2 narrowly passed the Senate State Affairs Committee by a 5-4 vote on Wednesday. Among those voting in favor was Sen. Troy Heinert (D), a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who is the first Native person to serve as a party caucus leader in the Legislature.

Heinert is a co-sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 2 as is Rep. Peri Pourier (D), a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. She is a newcomer to the Legislature.

If enacted into law, Senate Joint Resolution 2 would put the issue of sports betting on the November 2020 ballot. Voters would have to approve it in order for such wagers to be allowed in Deadwood, where non-Indian gaming is authorized.

Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribes can offer the same types of gaming as those authorized in a state. So approval of sports betting would carry over to Indian Country.

Sports betting was long thought to be prohibited in states like South Dakota under federal law. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law in a May 2018 decision.

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