South Dakota set to miss out on sports betting in 2019

Punters in South Dakota may have to wait another year before they can place legal sports bets after lawmakers voted down an amendment that would have allowed for regulated sports wagering in the state.

Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR2) proposed amending the state’s constitution to allow residents to bet on sports events from inside the city limits of Deadwood.

The amendment was passed by the state Senate, but has failed to secure enough votes to progress in the House of Representatives.

Despite the South Dakota House voting 33-32 in favour of moving SJR2 forward, with five members absent, this is below the 36-vote majority required by state law in order for the amendment to advance.

Unless the House decides to vote again on the measure, this would be the end of efforts to legalise sports betting in the 2019 session, meaning no more proposals can be introduced until the 2020 legislative session begins.

SJR2 was only able to progress to this stage after it was pushed through without recommendation earlier this week, despite initially failing to secure the required amount of votes from the House State Affairs Committee.

On Monday, the House State Affairs Committee held a number of votes on the measure, eventually voting to advance the amendment to the House without its recommendation by a vote of 10-1.

Had SJR2 made it past through the House, it would still require approval from the public, with the amendment including a measure whereby it would be put to a public vote before coming into law.

Image: AlexiusHoratius