North Dakota wasn’t on too many onlooker’s list for gambling expansion in 2023, however, a measure to take sports betting to a public vote in 2024 has failed to get past the Senate, settling the issue for another year.
House Concurrent Resolution 3002 was a measure to make a constitutional amendment in North Dakota to offer the electorate to vote on legalizing and regulating sports betting from commercial operators. A constitutional amendment is required in North Dakota to legalize sports betting, meaning this bill would have had to pass, plus a majority at the general election 2024.
Filed by Rep. Greg Stemen and sponsored by 11 colleagues, HCR 3002 was first brought to the House on Jan 3 before being referred to the Judiciary Committee.
The measure passed through the House in a narrow 49-44 vote on Jan 12 before being sent to the Senate via the upper chamber’s Judiciary Committee.
It then took one month to be heard by the committee, where it was amended and placed on the calendar for this week.
Called to the floor on Monday, HCR3002 failed at the second reading, with a 16-30 vote, meaning that sports betting will not be on the ballot in 2024 if nothing changes.
Similar measures have been attempted in previous years, notably in both 2019 and 2021, however, they both failed in the Senate.
North Dakota has 11 tribal casinos which generated $243.8m as of 2016, according to the American Gaming Association.
Those tribal casinos are authorized to offer sports betting, both retail and mobile, though mobile bets are only allowed to be taken within casino grounds. Tribes recently pleaded with Gov. Doug Burgum for the exclusive rights to operate sports betting outside the locations, but this was denied because sports betting isn’t legal statewide.
For opponents of the bill, tribal casino gambling is enough, with gambling expansion simply intolerable.
Speaking with local outlet Bismarck Tribune, Sen. David Rust outlined his opposition: “I just think that gambling in North Dakota has mushroomed to the point where I have in no way, shape or form a desire to expand it.”
