gambling in north dakota

North Dakota is the last place you�d expect to have much of a gambling presence. After all, they have less than 740,000 residents, low population density, and a frigid climate.

But despite all this, the Roughrider State has become a large gambling hub with 27 gaming establishments.

Most of the gaming action centers on 6 tribal casinos and nearly two dozen charitable businesses.

But they offer just about everything else too, including charitable gambling, social gaming, pari-mutuel wagering, and a lottery. Bars and restaurants can also offer video lottery games.

Let�s continue discussing the North Dakota gambling scene by looking at key stats, laws, where you can gamble in the Peace State, and their stance on internet gaming.

The lion�s share of North Dakota�s gambling revenue comes from charitable establishments, which generate close to $200 million annually. Their charity gaming revenue ranks among the highest in America.

The catch is that much of this goes to charity, their employees, and operational costs. North Dakota only taxes charity casinos at a rate of 1%, meaning just $2 million goes towards the state.

The Peace State is last among per-capita lottery sales in states that offer a lottery, selling $38 in tickets sales per resident. This works out to roughly $28 million in total sales, and 22% of this ($6.2m) goes towards the state�s General Fund.

A big reason why North Dakota�s lottery sales are lower than fellow US states is because they don�t offer scratch-off tickets.They�re also unique in that they don�t sell in-state tickets, instead offering multi-state jackpot lotteries (i.e. Mega Millions, Powerball).

Another hit against North Dakota�s gambling revenue is that they don�t tax tribal casinos. Instead, these casinos only cover their regulatory fees, which amount to just over $260,000 collectively.

As you can see, gambling isn�t a huge boon for North Dakota, despite all the betting that goes on in their state. But at least the numerous gaming establishments provide employment for many residents.

North Dakota is one of the least populated states in the union. But with hundreds of charitable gambling operations, several mid-sized tribal casinos, pari-mutuel wagering at two racetracks, and the availability of multi-state lotteries, the state can claim one of the highest concentrations of gaming establishments per capita in the entire United States.

CHARITABLE GAMING

North Dakota has had legalized charitable gaming since 1977. Charitable gaming in the state is regulated by a five-member commission, an arm of the state attorney general�s office. It grants licenses to nonprofit organizations permitting bingo, raffles, pull-tabs, punchboards, sports pools,�blackjack, poker, Calcutta pools, and paddlewheels. There are as many as 800 small charitable casino operations running across the state, but in accordance with the law, none offer�slot machines.

Net proceeds must be used for educational, charitable, patriotic, fraternal, or religious purposes. Only veteran, charitable, educational, religious, fraternal, civic and service, public safety or public-spirited organizations are granted licenses. Many of these organizations have partnered with bars, restaurants, and other service organizations across the state to run the charitable casino operations.

CASINOS

The state signed its first tribal gaming compacts in the early 1990s. Further compacts were negotiated in 1999 and 2013. Construction of tribal casinos soon followed. There are now five mid-sized tribal casinos across the state and a half-dozen smaller operations that offer�table games, poker, bingo, and thousands of slot machines.

The�Dakota Magic Casino�in�Hankinson�has a 120-room hotel, 1,500-seat convention center, and more than 900 reel and video slot machines, blackjack,�roulette, craps, and poker. The�4 Bears Casino & Lodge�has a lodge and an RV park. The casino offers�blackjack, craps, poker,�video poker, keno, and more than�700�slot machines.

The Prairie Knights Casino in Fort Yates has a 200-room lodge with a 129-foot water slide. The casino has blackjack, craps, three-card poker, ultimate Texas Hold �Em, plus more than 700 slot machines, video poker and video keno games. The Sky Dancer Casino and Resort in Belcourt was recently expanded to include a restaurant and entertainment pavilion. There are now more than 700 of the latest slot machines on the property as well.

The Spirit Lake Casino in Devils Lake features a full-service marina, log cabins, an RV park, and a hotel on the south shores of the lake. The casino has craps, blackjack, three-card poker, and more than 700 reel and video slot machines.

Several other smaller tribal casino operations are littered around North Dakota, most with 250 slot machines or less on the property.

PARI-MUTUEL BETTING

North Dakota has had legalized pari-mutuel gambling since 1990, and there are currently two horse racing facilities operating: Chippewa Downs Racetrack and North Dakota Horse Park. There are no slot machines at either property.

The state established the North Dakota Lottery in 2004, but it is unique in that it only participates in multi-state lotteries and no actual in-state lottery exists. North Dakota takes part in five five multi-state lottery games, including Powerball, Mega Millions, Wild Card 2, Hot Lotto, and 2by2.

LAND-BASED SLOTS OPTIONS

Property	Location	Number of Slots
4 Bears Casino & Lodge	New Town	700
Spirit Lake Casino & Resort	Devils Lake	700
Prairie Knights Casino and Resort	Fort Yates	700
Sky Dancer Hotel & Casino	Belcourt	700
Sky Dancer Mini Casino	Belcourt	64
The Dakota Magic Casino	Hankinson	1,000
Grand Treasure Casino	Trenton	250

ONLINE GAMBLING OPTIONS

Online casinos are not legal in North Dakota.

Residents and visitors may be able to access any number of�offshore online casinos�from inside the state. But know that gambling is against the law outside of the race tracks, charitable gaming operations, tribal casinos, and lotteries. Plus, transferring�money on and off these sites is against federal law.

Online slots are not legal in the state, and North Dakota lawmakers have shown little interest in changing that. However, the state was one of the first to consider legal and regulated online poker.

A bill was introduced in 2005 to license and regulate online poker in North Dakota, but was voted down after the US Department of Justice advised local lawmakers online gaming was against federal law.

Online gambling in North Dakota now consists only of the ability to�bet on horse races�and purchase lottery subscriptions online. The issue of legal and regulated online slots or casinos does not appear on any current government agenda.