South Dakota Sports Betting
South Dakota sports betting law allows casinos in Deadwood to operate retail sportsbooks for visitors 21 and older.
The first South Dakota sportsbooks opened after voters approved a ballot measure authorizing sports wagering within Deadwood city limits.
Online sports betting isn’t yet legal in South Dakota, but pick’em fantasy sports apps and pari-mutuel horse racing wagering are close alternatives.
Legal South Dakota Betting Sites
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South Dakota Sports Betting Apps
South Dakota law addresses “advance deposit wagering” and explicitly states that patrons may only place wagers from within licensed casinos:
SD Codified L § 42-7B-79 states:
“Any sports wagering may only be conducted in the interior of a licensed gaming establishment within the city of Deadwood. Each operator or route operator that is authorized by the commission to conduct sports wagering shall install and maintain equipment that is approved by the commission to ensure that all bets are placed from within the interior of a licensed gaming establishment within the city of Deadwood.”
Some states allow retail sportsbooks to accept mobile wagers from guests who are physically present on casino property, but that is not the case in South Dakota. Bettors must place all bets in person at the sportsbook counter or via self-serve kiosks.
However, some lawmakers are interested in changing the law and establishing a licensing process for South Dakota sports betting apps.
In early 2022, lawmakers introduced , calling for another referendum during the next general election. The South Dakota Senate SJR 502 by a thin margin in February 2022, but the bill died in the House.
Undeterred, South Dakota online sports betting proponents took up the measure once again in early 2023 by introducing . The bill survived a close committee vote shortly after its introduction but failed on a House vote of 41-28 against.
In a debate before the vote, HJR 5006 supporters couldn’t answer how the measure would impact the gaming compacts tribes have with the state.
As a result, South Dakota online sports betting remains prohibited by state law.
South Dakota Sports Betting Locations
Most South Dakota sportsbooks are in Deadwood, but a handful of tribal casinos also offer sports wagering.
Here’s a complete list of retail sportsbook locations in South Dakota:
Deadwood Sportsbooks
Tribal Casino Sportsbooks
In addition, tribal-owned casinos located anywhere in South Dakota may operate sportsbooks due to gaming compacts with the state that allow them to offer the same forms of gambling as commercial casinos.
- in Watertown
- just north of the SD/ND border near Hwy 81
- in Sisseton
How South Dakota Legalized Sports Betting
In the November 2020 election, voters approved to permit Deadwood casinos to offer sports betting.
The question appeared on the ballot after lawmakers passed in March 2020, asking voters if the South Dakota Constitution should be amended to authorize “wagering on sporting events” within the city limits of Deadwood.
The ballot measure passed with a 58.5% yes vote.
The legislature passed the enabling legislation () in early 2021, and Governor Kristi Noem signed it into law two months later.
Later that year, the first Deadwood sportsbooks opened to the public.
South Dakota Sports Betting Law
After voters approved sports betting in South Dakota, the legislature passed to legalize and regulate sportsbooks in Deadwood.
Highlights of the law include:
- Minimum age of 21 to bet on sports
- Deadwood casinos may apply for licenses to operate retail sportsbooks on-premises
- Casinos that wish to operate sportsbooks pay a $2,000 initial licensing fee and a $2,000 annual fee thereafter
- Sportsbooks may accept wagers on professional, collegiate, and international sporting events
- South Dakota sportsbooks may not accept wagers on minor league sports or the performances of individual athletes in college sporting events
- Sportsbooks may not accept wagers on games involving South Dakota college teams
- The South Dakota Commission on Gaming retains the authority to adopt additional rules as needed to regulate sports betting
adopted by the Commission address details such as integrity monitoring requirements, anti-money laundering standards, and various consumer protection rules.
The South Dakota legislature has also considered expanding sports betting beyond Deadwood.
In February 2023, Sen. Ryan Maher introduced to authorize self-serve betting kiosks throughout South Dakota at businesses with liquor licenses.
South Dakota Daily Fantasy Sports
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Daily fantasy sports sites seem to be legal in South Dakota. Although South Dakota has not technically legalized fantasy sports contests, it hasn’t outlawed them.
Popular daily fantasy sites operate openly in South Dakota, giving sports fans choices in where to play DFS contests at.
Highly-rated daily fantasy sports sites in South Dakota include:
South Dakota Fantasy Sports Laws
South Dakota has not fully addressed the legality of daily fantasy sports apps, but nearly all DFS sites accept customers from South Dakota without pushback from the state.
State law prohibits gaming of any type in which anything of value is wagered (outside of casinos), but it exempts contests of skill. The question of whether fantasy sports contests qualify as games of skill has not been definitively answered in South Dakota.
However, the nation’s biggest operators have reason to believe the state will not be taking action against them. In 2015, then-Attorney General Marty Jackley issued a statement explaining the uncertain legal status of daily fantasy sports.
did not provide a firm legal opinion on fantasy sports, but AG Jackley said he had no intention of taking action against DFS providers.
The AG left the door open to take action if the South Dakota Gaming Commission provides guidance declaring fantasy contests illegal, but the issue hasn’t been brought up since.
Today, South Dakota sports fans can continue to use daily fantasy sports sites and play online for real money.
South Dakota Horse Racing Betting
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Advance deposit wagering (online racing betting) is legal for residents 18 or older in South Dakota.
Horse racing betting sites that operate in South Dakota must adhere to a strict that establishes security standards, the fair treatment of customers, and financial accountability.
South Dakota online horse racing betting is safe and well-regulated.
Numerous licensed horse racing betting sites operate in South Dakota and permit bettors to wager on races held around the country.
The most popular South Dakota horse racing betting sites available include:
South Dakota Racetracks
South Dakota does not have a very active live horse racing scene, but two fairgrounds hold horse races every Spring:
South Dakota Off-Track Betting
South Dakota is home to just one off-track betting facility:
- in Sioux City
South Dakota Gambling Laws
All gambling in South Dakota hosted outside licensed casinos, race tracks, and legal betting sites is unlawful.
State statutes do not exempt social games played at home, such as private poker games played among friends. of the Codified Laws states:
Any person who engages in gambling in any form with cards, dice, or other implements or devices of any kind wherein anything valuable is wagered upon the outcome, or who keeps any establishment, place, equipment, or apparatus for such gambling or any agents or employees for such purpose, or any person who knowingly lets any establishment, structure, place, equipment, or apparatus for such gambling is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Successful prosecution of a Class 2 misdemeanor can result in 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both for players and hosts of illegal casino games.
South Dakota has never prosecuted individuals for playing at unlicensed betting sites, but the risk remains.
One of the indications that South Dakota won’t have online casinos or poker sites any time soon is a law specifically targeting online gambling. prohibits the establishment of any business that conducts gambling over the Internet:
Establishment of internet gambling business prohibited. Except as provided in § 22-25A-15, no person may establish a location or site in this state from which to conduct a gambling business on or over the internet or an interactive computer service.
Furthermore, the statute explains that any wager that originates or terminates within the state is considered a separate violation under the law.
makes it a Class 6 felony for the first offense and a Class 5 felony for all subsequent offenses.
South Dakota Sports Betting FAQ
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher and analyst in the legal gambling industry and is co-founder of ycgts.shop. As a former professional online poker player, Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.