Burgum rejects ND tribes’ plea for online gambling rights

Gov. Doug Burgum has rejected a plea by North Dakota’s American Indian tribes to give them exclusive rights to host internet gambling and sports betting in the state. But Burgum did endorse the tribes’ appeal to lower the legal gambling age from 21 to 19 at American Indian casinos and to allow use of credit or debit cards to bet. The tribes asked Burgum to approve the gambling expansion under tribal-state agreements. The tribes wanted gamblers using mobile devices to place bets that would be funneled through computer servers on tribal land. A Burgum spokesman says state law doesn’t allow that.

Since electronic pull tabs were authorized during the 2017 legislative session, the number of e-tab machines in North Dakota has increased to approximately 4,500 devices at 800 sites – surpassing the roughly 3,300 Class III slot machines located at tribal casinos in North Dakota.

Changes to the compacts include:

• Lowering the legal age for gambling on reservations from 21 to 19 years old. An exception remains in place for those with military ID, who may gamble at age 18.
• Allowing tribes to accept credit and debit cards for any purpose, including account wagering and cashless gaming.
• Clarifying that the state will conduct one annual casino inspection at the tribe’s expense. Any additional inspections will be at the state’s expense. Casinos remain subject to regular federal inspections and audits, along with submitting quarterly reports to the state.
• Limiting the cost of state regulatory activity reimbursed by the tribes to no more than $10,000 per year for each tribe, subject to an annual inflation rate.
• Providing flexibility in administering gambling addiction treatment, education and prevention services that are supported through contributions of $25,000 per year from each tribe, for a total of $125,000 annually.

AP/KNOX

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