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in continuous efforts Sports Betting Legalized in North Dakota, Expanding Beyond Already-Allowed Tribal Casinos — A House panel heard a debate on Monday about measures to get voters to decide next year’s issues.
Fargo Republican Rep. Greg Stemen told the Judiciary Committee, “The passage of this resolution does not legalize sports betting.” It just allows us to decide whether to legalize sports betting.”
State constitutional changes are required to legalize sports betting. If passed, voters will decide whether to approve the change. And in 2025, lawmakers may decide exactly how sports betting will be licensed, licensed and regulated in North Dakota.
The committee recommended against passage, but the resolution would get the vote of the floor later anyway.
Thousands of people in the state already participate in illegal sports betting, Stemen said, and if the state legalized and regulated the industry, it could generate millions of dollars in tax revenue. I have.
Jacob Thomsen, a policy analyst for the North Dakota Family Alliance Legislative Action, testified against the resolution. He said legalizing sports betting would exacerbate gambling problems and addiction in North Dakota in exchange for a relatively modest increase in state income.
“There is no moral justification for earning an additional portion of the state’s annual budget income from people with gambling problems,” Thomsen said.
Mark Hagelot, president of the North Dakota University System, also testified against the resolution, saying it did not specify whether people could bet on college sports.
“Sports betting can undermine the integrity of the game, leaving unpaid athletes vulnerable to the money that flows through their respective games and is dependent on their performance,” he said.
Pat Gibbs, national public policy adviser for the Sports Betting Alliance, said those concerns would be addressed later by future lawmakers.
Gibbs said the resolution “just starts a conversation” with people in North Dakota by asking whether the state should legalize sports betting.
“In order to maximize state revenues, improve user convenience, and maximize the attack on illegal offshore sports betting websites currently operating in North Dakota, Congress is calling for a competitive statewide We need to approve and regulate mobile sports betting,” added Gibbs.
Bismarck Republican House Speaker Lawrence Kremin said lawmakers would amend the resolution to only allow betting on professional sports. He said they would “address concerns” about student-athletes because they are not professionals.
Republican Governor Doug Burgum last year signed an agreement with a tribe of American Indians in North Dakota to lower the legal gambling age from 21 to 19 at tribal-owned casinos. among other measures. The Tribal Nation Pact permits online sports betting on mobile devices within the reservation boundary, but not outside the boundary.
The state’s five tribes wanted exclusive rights to host internet gambling and sports betting outside their reservations, but Burgham disagreed because sports betting was not legal statewide.
Across the country, people bet over $125 billion on sports Through legal gambling outlets since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling paved the way for all 50 states to offer gambling. It has been legalized.
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Trisha Ahmed is a member of the Associated Press/Reports for America Statehouse News Initiative.Reporting to America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover hidden issues. Follow her on Twitter. @Trisha Ahmed15
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