Online Casinos in South Dakota
Are real-money online casinos legal in South Dakota, and what is actually authorized after the House State Affairs Committee killed SJR 504 in February 2026?
Short Answer
No. There are no licensed online casinos in South Dakota.
Article III Section 25 of the state constitution bars the legislature from authorizing any game of chance, with narrow carve-outs added by amendment for the SD Lottery (1986), Deadwood limited gaming (1988), parimutuel racing, and sports betting in Deadwood (2020). SDCL Chapter 22-25A directly prohibits internet gambling. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming issued a public alert in August 2025 reminding the public that online casinos, including the sweepstakes-style sites that market to SD residents, are not authorized in the state. What is legal in May 2026: roughly 22 Deadwood casinos, eleven tribal casinos run by nine federally recognized tribes, on-site sports betting at both, the SD Lottery's video-lottery network in age-21 establishments, retail draw and scratch tickets, and parimutuel horse racing.
How It Happened
Voters pass Amendment B, authorizing Deadwood gaming
Sixty-five percent of South Dakotans approve the constitutional amendment letting the legislature license slot machines and limited card games inside the city of Deadwood, with net proceeds dedicated to the historic restoration and preservation of the town.
Deadwood casinos open
Limited stakes gaming begins under SDCL Chapter 42-7B. South Dakota becomes the third state in the country to authorize commercial casinos after Nevada and New Jersey. Casino revenue more than doubles from $25.6 million in 1990 to $56.6 million in 1991.
Amendment Q adds keno, craps, and roulette
Voters approve the expansion 57-43. The new games arrive in Deadwood on July 1, 2015, and tribal casinos with Class III compacts add them the same day under the most-favored-nation language in their agreements.
Amendment B (2020) legalizes sports betting in Deadwood
239,620 yes to 170,191 no, a 58-42 win. The amendment only authorizes sports wagering inside Deadwood; tribal casinos can mirror it through their existing IGRA compacts.
Deadwood takes the first legal sports bet
Gov. Kristi Noem signed SB 44 in March, the law took effect July 1, and the Commission on Gaming approved final rules in August. Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort hosts the ceremonial first ticket on the eve of the 2021 NFL season.
Senate passes SJR 504, House committee kills it
Sen. Casey Crabtree and Rep. Greg Jamison's resolution to put statewide mobile sports betting on the November 2026 ballot, with 90 percent of tax revenue earmarked for property tax relief, clears the Senate 23-10. The House State Affairs Committee then defeats it 7-6, leaving online wagering of any kind off the next ballot.
Sweepstakes Casinos for South Dakota
With no licensed online casinos here and the Commission on Gaming's August 2025 alert covering sweepstakes too, these placeholders sit here until our database is wired in.
Casinos we play at. We earn a commission when you sign up through these.
Why There Are No Online Casinos
South Dakota built its gambling map by adding constitutional carve-outs one at a time, and online casinos have never been one of them. Article III Section 25 forbids the legislature from authorizing games of chance, lotteries, or gift enterprises, and every legal form in the state sits inside an exception voters wrote into that section. The SD Lottery came in by amendment in November 1986. Deadwood limited gaming arrived in November 1988 with Amendment B, which passed 65 percent and let the legislature license slot machines and card games inside Deadwood's pre-1880s downtown footprint, with proceeds funding historic preservation. Casinos opened on November 1, 1989. Amendment Q expanded the games to include keno, craps, and roulette in 2014, effective July 1, 2015. The full Deadwood framework lives in SDCL Chapter 42-7B. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming, a five-member board appointed by the governor and attached to the Department of Revenue, enforces it.
Online casinos run into two walls. SDCL Chapter 22-25A directly criminalizes engaging in or facilitating gambling using the internet. The constitution offers no online-casino exception, so authorizing one would require a statewide vote. The Commission on Gaming reinforced that position in an August 2025 public alert warning South Dakotans that the offshore sites and sweepstakes-model casinos advertising in the state are not licensed and carry no consumer protections. Sports betting followed the slower path: 58 percent of voters passed a new Amendment B in November 2020 (239,620 yes to 170,191 no), the legislature enacted SB 44 in early 2021, Gov. Kristi Noem signed it in March, and the first bet went down at Deadwood's Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort on September 9, 2021. The same compacts let tribal casinos open sportsbooks shortly after; Dakota Sioux Casino north of Watertown launched on April 27, 2022. Mobile sports betting beyond casino property has failed in three straight attempts: SJR 502 cleared the Senate 18-17 in 2022 before dying in House State Affairs 10-3, and SJR 504 passed the Senate 23-10 on February 11, 2026 only to be killed in the same House committee 7-6 weeks later.
What You Can Play in South Dakota
Every gambling form actually authorized in South Dakota in May 2026.
Deadwood Casinos
About 22 limited-stakes casinos operate inside Deadwood, ranging from small Main Street rooms to full resorts like Cadillac Jack's, Deadwood Mountain Grand, Tin Lizzie, and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino that opened in 2024. The Commission on Gaming licenses every device and table under SDCL Chapter 42-7B. Minimum age is 21.
Tribal Casinos
Nine federally recognized tribes run eleven casinos under Class III compacts. Properties include Royal River (Flandreau Santee Sioux), Dakota Sioux and Dakota Connection (Sisseton-Wahpeton), Fort Randall and Yankton Sioux Travel Plaza (Yankton Sioux), Lode Star (Crow Creek), Golden Buffalo (Lower Brule), Rosebud and Turtle Creek Crossing (Rosebud Sioux), Prairie Wind (Oglala Sioux), and Grand River (Standing Rock). Minimum age is 21.
Retail and On-Site Sports Betting
Deadwood casinos have taken legal sports bets since September 9, 2021. Tribal sportsbooks followed, starting with Dakota Sioux on April 27, 2022. On-site mobile wagering inside a licensed casino is permitted, but the apps refuse bets the moment a player steps outside the property. Minimum age is 21.
South Dakota Lottery
The SD Lottery sells Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Lotto America, Dakota Cash, and scratch tickets through licensed retailers only. State law and the lottery's own rules forbid online or mail-order ticket sales. The lottery mobile app exists, but it only scans tickets and pays prizes from $101 to $5,000, with a minimum player age of 18.
Video Lottery
Roughly 9,000 SD Lottery video-lottery terminals run in age-21 licensed establishments, mostly bars and small casinos outside Deadwood. Net machine income is split with the state and remains one of South Dakota's largest gambling revenue lines. The minimum player age is 21.
Parimutuel Horse Racing
The Commission on Gaming regulates live and simulcast horse racing under SDCL Chapter 42-7. Wagering happens at licensed racetracks and off-track sites. Sweepstakes and offshore casinos remain unauthorized; the Commission's August 2025 alert reminded residents that those operators sit outside any state consumer-protection framework.
Play Responsibly
The minimum gambling age in South Dakota is 21 at Deadwood casinos, tribal casinos, sports betting, and video lottery, and 18 for the state lottery's draw and scratch tickets. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER for free, confidential help, or read our responsible gambling guide.
South Dakota Gambling FAQ
Are online casinos legal in South Dakota?+
No. SDCL Chapter 22-25A prohibits internet gambling, and the state constitution offers no online-casino exception. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming issued a public alert in August 2025 warning residents that offshore sites and sweepstakes-style casinos advertising to SD players are unauthorized. Any site promoting a 'South Dakota online casino real money' product operates outside state oversight.
Can I bet on sports online in South Dakota?+
Only when you are physically inside a licensed casino. Amendment B in 2020 authorized sports betting only within Deadwood, and tribal casinos opened books under their existing compacts in 2022. Mobile apps from those venues refuse bets the moment you leave the property. Statewide mobile betting failed at the legislature in 2022 (SJR 502) and again in 2026 when the House State Affairs Committee killed SJR 504 by 7-6 after the Senate passed it 23-10.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in South Dakota?+
No. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming's August 2025 public alert treats sweepstakes casinos as unauthorized gambling under SDCL Chapter 22-25A and the SDCL 22-25-1 definition of a wager. The state is not licensing the model, and players have no regulatory recourse if a site stops paying out.
Can I buy SD Lottery tickets online?+
No. The South Dakota Lottery sells Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Lotto America, Dakota Cash, and scratch tickets only at licensed retailers in the state. The lottery's mobile app scans tickets and pays prizes from $101 to $5,000, but it does not sell tickets. Buyers must be at least 18.
What is the legal gambling age in South Dakota?+
21 at Deadwood casinos under SDCL Chapter 42-7B, 21 at tribal casinos under their Class III compacts, 21 for any sports wager, 21 for video lottery in bars and small parlors, and 18 for the SD Lottery's draw and scratch tickets and for parimutuel horse racing.
Will South Dakota legalize online casinos?+
Not on the current track. No iGaming bill has been introduced in the 2025-26 sessions. Lawmakers cannot even get statewide mobile sports betting past the House State Affairs Committee, which killed SJR 502 in 2022 and SJR 504 in 2026. Authorizing online casinos would require a new constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot, and no sponsor is drafting one as of May 2026.