Rules For Sports Betting In South Dakota Are Making Progress

• Senate Bill 44 was introduced to the South Dakota Legislature that laid out the landscape for adding legal sportsbooks to retail locations in the town of Deadwood.
• Another proposal will be given floor time that would allow statewide mobile sports betting whereas SD SB 44 does not.
• The South Dakota Legislature needs to come to a decision by the time of adjournment on March 29.

DEADWOOD, S.D. – The people of South Dakota voted in the Fall of 2020 to legalize sports betting in Deadwood and now legislation is being introduced about the rules and regulations that will serve as the structure for the newly legal industry.

On Wednesday, the Senate State Affairs Committee of the South Dakota Legislature heard one of what is assumed to be at least two proposals this session for the sports wagering market of the state.

Senate Bill 44 was presented to the Committee but no votes were made on the legislation. All voting on the bill will be done once a prison impact study has been completed and the statement has been read to lawmakers. This could take place toward the end of the month.

What Is Senate Bill 44?

Senate Bill 44 would open retail sports betting venues in the town of Deadwood in the over 20 locations that would be eligible for licensure. The proposal also includes Tribal gaming facilities throughout the state that could expand into sports wagering.

Mobile sportsbooks would be available on the property of all of these businesses which is a step in a better direction as it was previously stated that customers must be inside to use mobile platforms. But now the law would allow for them to simply be on the property.

“We want to make sure we do this right,” said Jim Terwilliger, secretary of the Department of Revenue.

Under SD SB 44, no colleges would be eligible when betting on sports in South Dakota. Collegiate player prop bets are also excluded. High school and minor league sporting events round out the list for ineligible wagers. The proposal also ensures that no one affiliated with the sports community in the state, be it coaches or athletes or anyone, be allowed to gamble on any game they’re connected to.

Retail sportsbooks would be equipped with betting windows, kiosks, and mobile applications. Advanced deposit sports wagering has been mentioned as a part of Senate Bill 44, which would allow a sports bettor to use money they’ve put into their casino account to transfer over for use to gamble on sports.

Other Proposals

There is another proposal that is expected to be better explained to the public soon that puts focus on mobile sports wagering platforms for South Dakota. House Representative Tom Pischke and Senator Kyle Schoenfish are sponsoring the mobile sports betting bill.

Their measure would allow statewide access to gamble on sports via online and mobile sportsbooks by housing servers inside of Deadwood casinos.

Some are saying this would bring up a constitutional issue as the vote for the amendment to allow sports gaming in the first place only names the town of Deadwood for legalization.

News tags: Amendment B | Deadwood | Jim Terwilliger | Kyle Schoenfish | SD Department of Revenue | SD SB 44 | Senate Bill 44 | South Dakota | South Dakota Constitution | South Dakota Legislature | South Dakota Senate State Affairs Committee | Tom Pischke