Sports Betting to Launch in North Dakota...But

With a total North Dakota population of just over 762,000, that would make for approximately 500,000 residents who are of legal gambling age (21 years old). It’s the small gambling population that makes interest in the state’s gambling industry minimal at best.

While the nation’s overall gambling industry might not be forced on betting in North Dakota, it still matters to residents of the state. For them, the news that legal sports betting is going live on December 1, 2021, is a big deal. It means that sports bettors will not have to travel to nearby Montana if they want to wagers on sports events.

North Dakota Sports Betting Restrictions

One of the reasons that the nation’s gambling industry has not been focused on North Dakota is because of the state’s sports betting restrictions. In fact, there will only be one retail sportsbook within the state for the foreseeable future. That sportsbook is located inside the Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson. The casino is owned and operated on tribal lands (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe).

This will be a self-branded sportsbook inside the casino. Ownership has enlisted the services of IGT to provide the sports betting platform that bettors will be wagering through. That will result in the bookmaker making their own lines based on the betting activity after getting the initials lines from a prominent sports betting odds service provider.

The new sportsbook will feature betting windows, betting kiosks, multiple sports viewing screens, VIP seating, and food/beverage services. Sports bettors will need to be at least 21 years of age to enter the sportsbook. Bettors will have access to most of the top betting markets, which includes being able to wager on events that include North Dakota’s college teams.

Future of Online Sports Betting in North Dakota

At this point, the prospects of online sports betting in North Dakota are minimal. Two proposals hit the legislative floor earlier this year, only to be shot down. The bills both reportedly failed due to opposition for the state’s NCAA Amateur Sports Board and of course, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribe. Obviously, the Tribe was looking out for its own interest, that being the loss of profits from the Tribe’s casino.

It would seem the only way online sports betting will be allowed in ND is if the state decides to adopt a sports betting approach similar to the ones used in Arizona and Connecticut. In both of those states, online sports betting licensing is divided between Tribal interests and other gambling providers that might have an interest in North Dakota.

In Arizona, the state’s Tribes were willing to sacrifice their calls for a sports betting monopoly in exchange for the right to offer a wider range of casino games in the state’s casino. Games they might want to target in North Dakota might include Craps and Roulette. Given the success of online sports betting across the nation, it will be interesting to see where ND regulators go on this issue.