North Dakota sports betting amendment voted down in House

A bill to allow voters to decide whether or not to legalize betting on teams like NDSU has been introduced.
Image: Shutterstock / Ken Wolter

North Dakota state Rep. Scott Louser’s effort to pass a constitutional amendment to allow online sports betting in the state is already over.

After a rocky hearing and no endorsement from committee, the North Dakota House voted down the measure 70-24.

The last time lawmakers considered a ballot referendum was 2023. The initiative advanced out of the House but eventually failed in the Senate. Another effort to legalize retail commercial sports betting failed as well, however that same year the state and tribes reached an agreement to allow retail betting at the state’s three tribal casinos.

The legislation, HCR 3002, would have amend the state constitution to give the legislature the ability to, “authorize sports betting on professional and college sports to be conducted in the state and licensed and regulated by the state.”

All tax revenue generated by the effort was earmarked for K-12 education. Louser estimated it woudl generate $25-$30 million annually for the state.

Unlike 2023, when there was a companion piece of legislation to the referendum offering a framework for sports betting, Louser was purely trying to get a ballot initiative passed without any clear plan for how sports betting would be implemented.

Louser told the House Judiciary Committee that no one from the gaming industry asked him to put forth this bill and he wants to create an opportuity for voters to decideand he will happily drop the issue in future legislative sessions.

“This is not a matter of whether you like sports betting or not. This is a matter of allowing the voters of North Dakota to decide if they want to,” he stated.

Two representatives from the North Dakota University System testified in opposition to the bill. Director of Student Affairs for North Dakota University System Katie Fitzsimmons referenced a recent UCLA and USC study that observed states with sports betting have experienced increases in overdrafted bank accounts and maxed out credit cards. She also expressed concern about the undue pressure sports betting puts on college athletes.

ND Student Association VP of Government Affair Carter Gill, a student at NDSU. Last year, the group approved a resolution in opposition of sports betting expansion in the state.

Family foundation groups also testified in opposition of the amendment. The committee noted that there was written testimony in favor of the bill, but no witnesses were present to endorse the measure.