North Dakota governor Doug Burgum was agreeable to some change regarding the gambling laws in his state. However, he was unwilling to deliver the desired change that would have opened up online sports betting across the state.
Following months of ongoing meetings with North Dakota’s five American Indian tribes, Burgum announced that he would be lowering the legal gambling age in the state from 21 to 19 years of age.
As well, another change will enable bettors to be allowed to use debit and credit cards in order to place bets.
For their part, each of the five tribes has agreed to put forth $25,000 that will be utilized to fund problem gambling initiatives.
“We are deeply grateful to the tribal chairs and their representatives for their collaboration throughout these many months of negotiations, and we look forward to continuing the mutually beneficial gaming partnership between the state and the sovereign tribal nations with whom we share geography,” Burgum said in a statement.
However, the second-term governor wasn’t willing to grant the tribes exclusive rights to serve as a hub for online and mobile app gambling that would go statewide. Currently, the compact between the state and the tribes enables online sports betting via mobile devices within reservation boundaries but not beyond them. Burgum stated that state law wouldn’t permit such a change.
The United Tribes Gaming Association, the organization representing the gambling interests of the five North Dakota tribes, were proposing a plan for internet gambling and sports betting that would have seen bettors throughout North Dakota be able to use their mobile devices in order to place bets. These wagers would’ve been funneled through computer servers situated on tribal land.
“While we understand and appreciate the desire by some of the tribes to extend online gaming beyond their reservation boundaries, a clear legal path does not exist for the governor to grant such a broad expansion of gaming,” Burgum said in a statement.
Tribal leaders insist that the institution of pull tab machines in 20178 has hurt the revenue generated by their casinos, which is why further expansion on online betting is required.
The original state-tribal compacts covering legal and regulated gambling in the state were signed in 1992.
Photo by William DeHoogh on Unsplash
