South Dakota voters greenlight sports betting in Deadwood

South Dakota voters have said “Yes” to Amendment B, which will authorize the South Dakota Legislature to allow sports betting in Deadwood. 

With 95% of the votes reported on Tuesday night, voters in South Dakota had approved Amendment B with 58.5% voting “Yes” and 41.5% voting “No”, according to the Associated Press. 

Currently, only certain games are legal in Deadwood, as the constitution allowed roulette, keno, craps, limited card games and slot machines. According to the South Dakota Attorney General’s statement, any gaming that is authorized by the Legislature in Deadwood would also be allowed at on-reservation tribal casinos. The nine tribal governments that could also offer sports betting are: the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux, Yankton Sioux, Flandreau Santee Sioux, Lower Brule Sioux, Crow Creek Sioux, Rosebud Sioux, Oglala Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux and Standing Rock Sioux.

“Obviously, we're very encouraged by this. This is pacing a little bit better than we did in 2014 with craps and roulette,” said Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association, as reported by Rapid City Journal. “We're thankful to the voters of South Dakota for giving Deadwood this opportunity. We will reach out to the administration to see if they want to start working on some draft legislation for the 2021 session.”

Supporters say the amendment would boost tourism and add new tax revenue to help local cities, schools and the state. State Sen. Bob Ewing, who represents Deadwood and wrote the ballot message urging support for the amendment, said it will put South Dakota on an even playing field with other states that have already gone forward with sports betting. Revenue from Deadwood gaming is also shared across the state.