Weekly News – South Dakota Looks to Add Mobile Sports Betting Apps in Casinos

Dave Schwab Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

South Dakota is part of a group of states in the country that only allows legal retail sports betting. Online betting through mobile sportsbook apps remains prohibited. However, a change is in the works that may loosen up those mobile betting restrictions.

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming (SDCG) is working on a plan to bring mobile sports betting to Deadwood area casinos. The current system relies on retail sportsbooks and betting kiosks located inside land-based casinos.

Under this new plan, South Dakota bettors would be able to place mobile sports wagers throughout a casino property. The SDCG would require the use of a geofencing system to regulate the use of these mobile apps to casino grounds only. They would not be accessible outside the gaming floor or sportsbook facility.

The system is under development and subject to a 30-day trial once approved by the SDCG. Following the test period, the entire mobile sports betting process will be reviewed and evaluated.

There is no set timeline for mobile sports betting to be in place at Deadwood casinos. The state does not appear to be in any sort of hurry to push things along. SDCG Executive Secretary Susan Christian added that “its not going to be a fast plan, everybody just needs to be patient.”

Legal sports betting in South Dakota was launched in September of 2021 ahead of the new NFL season. Through a voter referendum in November of 2020, legal sports betting was approved for retail operations located inside land-based Deadwood casinos.

State Governor Kristi Noem has been very vocal in her stance against legal online sports betting. She is against any expansion outside of the casino gaming system. Legislative efforts to promote a change in the current law have not gained any traction.

The SDCG has also maintained tight control over the existing sports betting industry. Two Deadwood casinos were recently fined $3,000 each for allegedly booking improper sports bets.

Gold Dust Hotel and Casino along with Mustang Sally’s were cited for illegal bets on in-state college teams. Bets were placed on South Dakota State University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Current law prohibits betting on in-state college athletics.

Internet Sports International was also fined in the matter as the casinos’ sports betting platform operator.

Legal mobile betting within casino properties is not a brand new concept. A pair of Mississippi-based casinos launched the BetMGM mobile sportsbook app for use in its gaming areas. State lawmakers continue to work through the process of legalizing online sports betting in Mississippi as part of the current legislative session.

Mobile betting capability in Deadwood casinos appears to be more of a convenience issue with no real movement towards expanding their use.

Written by Dave Schwab, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert.

The featured image for this post was featured on Unsplash by Lucas McCombs.

Dave Schwab

Dave Schwab has been covering the sports betting industry for the past 12 years as the main focus of his specialty marketing company for online content. This endeavor followed a previous career in the field of sales and marketing in the wholesaling sector.Most of his weekly pieces focus on the rapidly expanding legal US sports betting industry. However, he still does extensive work covering betting angles that can provide a competitive edge to avid players. Dave believes that it is always a challenge to take past results and current form to try and correctly determine a future result. Sports brings out the unpredictability in what should be a fairly predictable outcome based on the stats, facts and recent trends in a particular matchup. More from Dave Schwab