A northern state that is sparsely populated, North Dakota is a pretty remote area. With the lack of much else to do, you would imagine that residents of the state would turn to gambling as a form of entertainment. However, do the laws match the expected desire of the state? Let’s have a look and find out.
Sports Betting in North Dakota
Sports are very popular pastimes in North Dakota. Some of the best young hockey players develop their skills in the state, and the college hockey team is often vying for a national championship. There isn’t much in the way of professional sports, but the proximity to other states and Canada gives residents the option of cheering for many different teams. Now, the love of sports typically translates to a love so sports betting, but as with all the other states, North Dakota was not allowed to offer regulated sports betting until 2018. The repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act allows states to decide individually if they want to offer sports betting. To date, a handful of states have passed laws, but North Dakota is not one of them.
Online Sports Betting
With no legal land-based options for sports betting, North Dakota residents turn to offshore online sportsbooks for their gambling fix. The online sportsbook industry is worth billions of dollars, and despite efforts by the U.S. government to thwart unregulated operators, there are still a healthy number of available sites for residents of North Dakota, but they are not legal.
These online sportsbooks span in age from a couple of years to a couple of decades, but that does not matters most as they are not properly licensed in the United States – your money is at risk of and you are not certain to get paid when you win… It’s fine if a site has a great look and feel or promotions, but if you aren’t sure if you are going to be paid, what’s the point of everything else? We therefore do not recommend betting on offshore websites and residents of North Dakota should wait for laws to change in their state before they start gambling online.
Horse Betting in North Dakota
Despite its somewhat remote location in the country, there is a live horse racing industry in North Dakota. Granted, there are a limited number of race days in the state, but there are two tracks that currently offer them. These tracks, as well as a handful of off-track betting facilities, offer bettors the chance to bet on races from other tracks as well, catching the races via simulcast. This is excellent news for North Dakota residents, as the industry has been in decline but it is clear that they are fighting hard to keep it viable in the state.
Online Horse Betting
The rules about online pari-mutuel racing are a little unclear. The racing commission of the state lists a few sites that are considered to be “licensed”, but these are not the typical cast of characters. They are not owned by the racetracks, however – these are separate corporations in the pari-mutuel space. Whatever the case, the good news for residents is that they don’t have to leave their homes to bet on the horses, which given the weather patterns in the state is a huge positive.
Casino Gambling in North Dakota
Again, without much else to do and looking for creative ways to generate tax revenue, the North Dakota government entered a compact with the state’s native tribes to allow for casino gaming. At this time, there are a half dozen gambling facilities, all of which offer slot machines and table games. They are spread out across the state, so that means that people don’t have to drive too far to find a facility.
The state is also planning an expansion of casino-style facilities under their Charitable Gaming laws. This has been met with some opposition, but ultimately the state will find a way to add a few more casinos into the mix.
Online Casinos in North Dakota
The tribal casinos are not currently permitted to offer online versions of their real-money casino games. This is likely because the compact was signed at a time when online casinos weren’t a thing… The laws relating to online casinos are likely to evolve soon as it will make sense to regulate this activity as well as online sports betting. To date however, there are no legal options for residents of the state, looking to gamble online. Once laws change however, the Betting News experts will review all options available in North Dakota to recommend the best ones based on the most important factors.
What makes a casino one that we would recommend? It’s the perfect combination of excellent customer service, great game selection and promotions that appeal to all types of gamblers. All that, plus a robust mobile offering, add up to an online casino making this list.
Lottery in North Dakota
It isn’t surprising that lottery games are popular in North Dakota. What you may be taken aback by is that he North Dakota Lottery was one of the last to be established in country, only starting to take play in 2004. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised for great causes in the state from the sale of instant scratch tickets, state-wide daily draw games, and the chance to change your life with a massive win from games like Powerball and Mega Millions which run in multiple states across the country.
Is sports betting legal in North Dakota?
Not at the present time, no. While sports, especially football and hockey, are very popular in the state, residents have not had a fully legal way to make sports bets. True, there are many bookies that take action from back alleys, and there are some online sportsbook options for players but these are all illegal. However, the landscape is changing these days and it is very possible that sports betting will come to North Dakota soon.
When will sports betting be legal in North Dakota?
Again, this is more of a crystal-ball type of answer than anything, but truly it is coming sooner than any of us could have possibly imagined. With the repeal of PASPA in May 2018, many states have started discussions for tabling legislation in 2019, but we haven’t heard much chatter from North Dakota. That being said, we imagine that once a few more states pass regulations, we’ll see this northern state jump into the mix. We anticipate sports betting will be offered and legal by 2020.
What is the best online sportsbook for residents of North Dakota?
At the moment, there are no North Dakota licensed sites to chose from. No online sportsbook exists in North Dakota. Once the laws change, we will review all options and offer in depth reviews of each of the online sportsbooks available to residents of North Dakota. Every sportsbook site is slightly different, and this results in a varying experience for the end use. Between color schemes, bet layouts and other options, you may find one book excellent that another person may not enjoy. Our reviews will cover all these elements.