Gov. North Dakota said on Friday that he had signed new compacts with the state’s American Indian tribes. The agreements reduce the legal gambling age for tribal-owned casinos from 21 to 19 and permit gamblers on special reservations to use credit and debit cards. They also enable mobile sports betting within reservation limits.
Burgum last month rejected a request from the state’s five tribes to provide them exclusive rights to iGaming and sports betting outside the reservations, citing state legislation. The new agreements were signed last Friday, following months of negotiations between the parties. However, current compacts are set to expire early next year, prompting the need to negotiate new ones.
The new tribal-state gaming compacts are now being checked by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which has forty five days to approve or reject the signed agreements. If the Department acts within 45 days, the compacts take effect automatically.
In addition to the revisions listed above, the amended compacts minimize unnecessary regulatory duplication and address “a number of additional regulatory and definition concerns.” The new agreements are valid for ten years.
The tribes first requested exclusive rights to operate statewide internet gaming and sports betting through a system in which bets would be routed through computer servers on tribal grounds. Burgum, on the other hand, denied the request, claiming that “a clear legal avenue does not exist for the governor to allow such a large expansion of gaming.”
“We are deeply grateful to the tribal chairs and their representatives for their collaboration throughout these many months of negotiations, and we look forward to continuing the mutually beneficial gaming partnership between the state and the sovereign tribal nations with whom we share geography,” as stated by Gov. Burgum in an announcement.
The five tribes of North Dakota wanted the exclusive rights because their casinos, which are generally among their most significant employment and help pay social programs on reservations, have been harmed by the proliferation of pull tab machines allowed in 2017 to benefit charity. According to the Associated Press, North Dakotans invested about $1.75 billion in the machines in fiscal 2022.
The five tribes of the state have pledged $25,000 for gambling addiction treatments under the new agreements. “These negotiated compacts solve various longstanding issues between the state and tribes by cutting through red tape and streamlining tribal gaming regulation for the benefit of both parties,” Burgum added.
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