North Dakota Sports Betting

Editor’s note: As of Jan. 19, 2021

North Dakota is known to be a very conservative state.

It does have gambling in the form of more than 800 venues offering blackjack for the benefit of charity.

There also are six Native American casinos with table games, slots, and video poker, and keno.

The state has no commercial casinos, which is why many were surprised that in February 2019 the GOP-led state House had two sports betting bills put before it for approval.

HB1295 failed quickly.

HB1254, sponsored by Republican Rep. Jason Dockter, sought charitable gaming organizations to offer wagers on professional and collegiate sporting events.  It was introduced in January and initially failed in the state House, not having enough votes for a constitutional majority. But when reconsidered, the bill received six more votes, passing muster, and was sent to the state Senate.

The bill faced plenty of opposition, however. Chancellor Mark Hagerott said allowing bets on collegiate sports puts pressure on athletes and could lead to tampering with games.

Others feared legal sports betting would prompt gambling addiction problems among state residents.

The bill received its first reading in the state Senate’s Government and Veterans Affairs Committee but failed on the Senate floor 38-7 with no debate.

No concrete word if lawmakers will try again in its next session.

Is sports betting currently legal in the state?

No. Betting analysts also cite tribal gaming interests as a concern to easy passage in the Roughrider State.

What about horse racing?

You are legally allowed to place online horse bets in the state, with the operators available to you including Bet America, TVG, Twinspires, and AM Wager.