North Dakota has officially joined a long list of states in which sports betting is legal. There are now 29 states where this activity is legal, while a few more are currently working on legalization. On top of that, betting is also permitted in the District of Columbia.
Starting December 1, North Dakotan bettors will be able to place sports wagers at a tribal casino located a few miles off the state border with South Dakota. The casino in question is Dakota Magic Casino (DMC) in Hankinson.
Betting at Dakota Magic Casino
Dakota Magic Casino is the only venue in North Dakota in which people will be able to place sports wagers. Owned and operated by the Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise, the casino is currently working on setting up a special sportsbook room within the venue.
The plan is to create a Vegas-style lounge with walls covered in TVs where the patrons will be able to watch live coverage of popular sports events. The sportsbook is also supposed to feature a bar, with drinks and a limited food menu.
The sportsbook is meant to open in time for the Super Bowl LVI. In the meantime, bettors will be able to place their best at a kiosk on the casino floor. Mobile wagering remains unregulated in this state, meaning that the sportsbook kiosk at Dakota Magic Casino will remain the only place in the Peace Garden State for a while.
What About Betting in South Dakota?
Dakota Magic Casino is situated in the southeastern corner of the state. It’s relatively close to Minnesota, whose bettors are expected to swarm to the sportsbook in the following months as this activity remains illegal in their state.
The same, however, isn’t the case with South Dakota, a state whose border is also fairly close to the casino. This state is betting-friendly since last summer. Its lawmakers made betting legal in July, while first sportsbooks launched in September in five casinos in Deadwood, a city on the outskirts of Black Hills National Forest, close to the border with Wyoming.
Making betting legal proved to be a lucrative decision for the state. The Deadwood casinos, for instance, reported a 20% revenue increase only a month after sports betting launched in the state. Something similar is expected to happen in the state’s northern neighbor as well.
