Dakota Magic Casino Could Launch First Legal Sportsbook In ND

• The Dakota National Casino plans to launch its Dakota Nation Sportsbook as soon as December 1 and no later than January 2022.
• The sportsbook will feature a full Las Vegas-Style experience, including wall-to-wall televisions and food and drink offerings among other features.

HANKINSON, N.D. – Sports bettors of North Dakota may be able to place wagers on sports as soon as Wednesday at the Dakota Magic Casino, owned and operated by the Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise.

The casino, located in Hankinson (roughly one hour south of Fargo) may see regulatory hold-ups push the launch back, but the latest the sportsbook can launch is January 2022.

Legal sports betting in North Dakota has been a long time coming according to Rojelio Rubio, Chief Marketing Officer of the Dakota Magic Casino.

“In North Dakota, sports betting was negotiated prior and approved in the state gaming compact between the tribal nation and the state,” he said.  “It wasn’t until the Supreme Court ruling that Dakota Magic was able to jump at the opportunity to provide sports betting.”

The Supreme Court ruling Rubio references is the overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (commonly referred to as PASPA or the Bradley Act) in May 2018. The Supreme Court’s decision was the launching point of the blossoming sports betting industry in the United States, with over half of the states regulating sports wagering in some form.

After the overturning of PASPA in 2018, North Dakota considered legalizing sports betting state-wide. In 2019, and again in 2021, North Dakota lawmakers attempted to pass legalizing legislation for the sports betting industry; however, neither gained the necessary traction and both failed to pass. The closest North Dakota has gotten to legalizing and regulating the industry was House Resolution 3032, which would have brought the issue to a voter referendum.

The bill passed in the House by a wide margin, but failed to pass through the Senate by a single vote.

The Dakota Nation Sportsbook will feature a full-service sportsbook, offering a Vegas-Style lounge with wall-to-wall televisions, leather seats, cellphone charging stations, and food and drink offerings, allowing sports bettors a full Las Vegas sportsbook-style experience.

All wagers will be confined to the Dakota Magic Casino, though other modes of wagering “will be discussed at a later time,” according to Rubio. This leaves the door open for potential mobile wagering platforms, though there would be a lot of regulatory hoops to jump through prior to that launch.

News tags: Bradley Act | Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise | Dakota Nation Sportsbook | Dakota National Casino | Fargo | Hankinson | HR 3032 | North Dakota | PASPA | Rojelio Rubio