North Dakota governor rejects tribe's plea for online gambling rights

Gov. Doug Burgum submitted a final draft of a new tribal state game contract for review after months of negotiations with five tribal nations that share geography with North Dakota.

The current inter-tribal gaming compact is set to expire early next year, forcing governors and tribes to negotiate a new gaming compact. Public hearings on the supplement proposal for the compact were held on Oct. 21, as required by state law, and the public comment period closed on Monday.

Final drafts of the five agreements have been submitted to a legislative governing committee of 17 lawmakers, including leaders and legal staff from the majority and minority parties in the House and Senate. The legislative governing committee has 21 days to review the agreements, after which the governor and each tribe can sign them.

The U.S. Department of the Interior will then have 45 days to approve or reject a signed contract. If the department does nothing within those 45 days, the contract will automatically take effect.

Changes to the agreement include eliminating unnecessary regulations, addressing several other regulatory and definition issues, and allowing online sports betting, including online Class III casino-style games and mobile games. Addendum proposed by tribes to provide these types of games outside of reservation was not included in the final draft. Language has been included in the agreement to allow tribes to provide such games outside of reservation if approved by state and federal laws.

"These negotiated agreements address many time-honored issues between states and tribes by cutting red tape and simplifying tribal gaming regulations for the benefit of both parties," Burgum said. "While we understand and appreciate the desire of some tribes to expand their online gaming beyond their booking boundaries, there is no clear legal pathway for the governor to expand gaming so broadly in the agreements. We plan to bring all parties to the table during the upcoming 2023 session to work with the Legislature to comprehensively examine games including sports betting, etaps, and other games."

Since electronic pull tabs were approved by the legislature in 2017, the number of e-tap machines in North Dakota has grown to about 4,500 at 800 sites, outperforming the roughly 3,300 Class III slot machines located in tribal casinos in North Dakota.

Other changes to the compact include:

 Lower the legal age to gamble by appointment from 21 to 19. An exception remains for those who have a military ID to gamble at 18.

 Allow tribes to receive credit and debit cards for all purposes, including account betting and cashless gaming.

 Make it clear that the state will conduct casino inspections once a year at the expense of the tribe. Additional inspections will be borne by the state. Casinos must undergo regular federal inspections and audits in addition to submitting quarterly reports to the state.

 Limiting the cost of state regulatory activities paid by tribes to not more than $10,000 per year for each tribe according to the annual inflation rate.  온라인 슬롯

 Provides flexibility in gambling addiction treatment, education, and prevention services supported by donations totaling $125,000, $25,000 per year from each tribe.