North Dakota Sports Betting

In March 2021, North Dakota lawmakers rejected a sports betting ballot measure, likely ending any legalization hopes until at least 2025. However, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians’ compact with the state allows it to offer sports betting. It rolled out sports wagering in October 2020 at Grand Treasure Casino and Sky Dancer Casino and Resort via IGT’s PlaySports platform, self-service kiosks, and trading services. In January 2021, Dakota National Casino launch its retail Dakota Nation Sportsbook.

Sports wagering in North Dakota is illegal outside of the state’s tribal casinos.

In January 2025, the North Dakota House rejected HCR 3002 — a constitutional amendment that would have placed statewide sports betting authorization on the November 2026 general election ballot — by a decisive 70-24 vote. This marked the third consecutive failed attempt to expand sports betting beyond tribal lands, following rejections in 2021 and 2023. The House Judiciary Committee recommended against passage, citing concerns about gambling addiction and potential harm to college athletes. Because the North Dakota Legislature convenes only in odd-numbered years, the next opportunity to advance a statewide sports betting referendum will not come until the 2027 session at the earliest, meaning a public vote could not occur before November 2028. In 2022, Governor Doug Burgum declined tribal exclusivity for statewide sports betting, keeping legal betting confined to tribal reservation boundaries. Tribal casinos continue to be the only legal venues for sports wagering in North Dakota.