North Dakota Sports Betting

North Dakota Sports Betting Timeline

Retail sports betting arrived in North Dakota in December 2021 when the Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise launched the Dakota Nation Sportsbook. Since then, three sportsbooks have opened on tribal land, despite no state sports betting law passing the legislature. Tribal casinos can open sportsbooks thanks to a Class III gaming compact. 

Attempts to create a legal framework for sports betting have been fruitless thus far, with two bills submitted in 2019 and a proposed ballot measure in 2021 failing to gain lawmakers' support. The lack of legislation leaves bettors in the state without a state-wide regulator. Therefore, tribal gaming commissions currently regulate their own sportsbooks in ND. 

Read our guide to North Dakota sports betting to find out the history of sports betting legislation in the state, the situation in bordering states, some of ND’s premier sporting events, and some answers to commonly asked questions.

North Dakota Legislation Timeline

• March 21, 2013 - The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate signs a gaming compact with the state.
• May 14, 2018 – The US Supreme Court strikes down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992 (PASPA), allowing North Dakota to pass sports betting legislation.
• January 3, 2019 – Representative Jason Dockter introduces HB 1254 to the House to legalize professional and collegiate betting. Representative Thomas Beadle also presents sports betting legislation, HB 1295.
• February 20, 2019 – HB 1254 passes the House by a margin of 52 to 38, while HB 1295 fails to pass the House after a 30-62 vote.
• March 25, 2019 – HB 1254 fails to attract enough support from Senators, with only seven members of the Senate voting for the bill.
• February 2, 2021 – HB 3032, a bill to propose a ballot measure to amend the North Dakota Constitution to allow sports betting, is introduced by nine Representatives and co-sponsored by three Senators.
• February 23, 2021 – HB 3032 passes the House of Representatives by a margin of 70-24.
• March 22, 2021 – HB 3032 fails to pass the Senate, losing two votes on its second reading by margins of 22-24 and 23-24.
• December 1, 2021 – Dakota Nation Gaming Enterprise launches the Dakota Nation Sportsbook at its Dakota Magic Casino & Hotel.

Popular Sports to Bet on in ND

While North Dakota doesn’t boast a major league professional team, its college teams have produced many players for major league teams. This is especially true in ice hockey, where the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks have won eight national championships.

North Dakota State University Bison are also highly successful, boasting a record number of FCS championships and many NFL players coming through the program. Read the most popular sports to bet on with ND bettors below.  

NFL Betting in North Dakota

North Dakota doesn’t have an NFL team, but neighboring Minnesota Vikings attract the most attention from bettors. The Vikings can thank North Dakota for one of the hardest-working Tight Ends in the game, with Jim Kleinsasser hailing from the Peach Garden State. Fans of the NFL might also follow the Washington Commanders, with former Bison Carson Wentz calling the plays.

The NFL is the most popular league for bettors in the U.S., and ND bettors will have a range of markets to bet on in pro football, including player props and futures.

NBA Betting in North Dakota

Basketball games are always attractive for bettors, with the nearest NBA side to ND, Minnesota Timberwolves, the most popular team in the state. North Dakota’s basketball fans will also follow the fortunes of Grand Forks native Doug McDermott, who signed for the San Antonio Spurs in 2021.

Players looking to bet on the NBA can bet on individual or team props, over/under, and totals. You can also bet either pre-game or in-game on these markets with some sportsbooks.

NHL Betting in North Dakota

Ice hockey is hugely popular in North Dakota, with the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Hawks winning the NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament on eight occasions and producing players like Vancouver Canucks’ Tucker Poolman. Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets are the closest teams in the NHL to ND and are among the most popular in the state.

If you’re looking to bet on NHL games in North Dakota, you have many markets to bet on, like puck lines, over/under, and player props. You may also be able to bet in-game at one of the sportsbooks in ND.

NCAA Betting in North Dakota

College sports are the most popular in North Dakota, with athletics programs from the state’s two NCAA Division I schools, the University of North Dakota & North Dakota State University, toasting success on multiple occasions in recent years.

NDSU is always a competitor in the Football Championship Bowl Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, reaching the competition every year between 2010 and 2022 and winning five straight championships between 2011-2015. UND is a fierce competitor in collegiate ice hockey, having won eight national championships and appeared in a further twenty-two Frozen Fours.

Without an active betting statute, North Dakota’s bettors are free to bet on the two schools, as there is no restriction on in-state teams. With premier contests taking place in football and ice hockey, players can bet on money lines or puck lines, totals, and over/under markets. There are plenty of choices to bet on the Fighting Hawks or the Bison.

Bordering States

While sports betting is available in North Dakota, if you want to bet on sports not offered by ND sportsbooks, you’ll have to travel to a neighboring state to place your bets. Two bordering states, Montana and South Dakota, offer sports betting; however, Minnesota, the largest state by population to border ND, does not. Below is our guide to gambling in the states surrounding ND.

Montana

Montana offers bettors the chance to bet in person through its state-run sportsbook, SportsBet Montana. Montana Lottery operates the sportsbook and has a monopoly on sports betting. Bettors can place sports bets on their phones inside lottery retailers and selected locations with kiosks. There are hundreds of these, meaning Montana is a state with one of the most extensive selections of land-based betting locations.

SportsBet Montana’s app also allows you to log in, verify your account, deposit and withdraw funds, set deposit limits, prepare bet slips and check odds. You can do everything except for placing bets on the app.

Montana is also only of the few states in the U.S. where the legal gambling age is 18 or older rather than 21. You do not need to be a resident to bet in Montana.

South Dakota

Retail betting became available in South Dakota after voters approved a ballot measure to introduce sportsbooks. Sports betting is now available at five casinos in Deadwood and a further three sites on tribal lands.

These sites are Tin Lizzie’s Gaming Resort in Deadwood, Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort in Deadwood, Dakota Connection in Sisseton, Dakota Sioux Casino in Watertown, Gold Dust Casino and Hotel in Deadwood, Holiday Inn Resort at Deadwood Mountain Grand, Mustang Sally’s Casino in Deadwood and The Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort, Deadwood.

To bet in South Dakota, you need to be 21 or older. There is no residency requirement for sports betting in SD. As long as you are over 21 and have a mobile phone and internet connection, you can bet from anywhere in the state. Sout Dakota sportsbooks offer bets on professional and collegiate sports. However, state law prohibits bets on in-state college teams.

Minnesota

Despite attempts to launch online and retail sportsbooks in Minnesota every year from 2019 to 2022, all legislation has failed to pass the Minnesota Legislature. Lawmakers have made progress, with a sports betting bill passing through the House in 2022. HF 778 proposed betting at tribal casinos only, like both North and South Dakota.

Future attempts at passing legislation might be more successful, and lawmakers are confident that sports betting will be able to pass through the House and Senate in 2023. For now, however, there are no legal betting options in Minnesota.

North Dakota Sports Events

With fierce competition between collegiate programs in North Dakota and surrounding states, the best sports events North Dakota has to offer are its intercollegiate rivalries, especially in college football. Find out more in our overview of ND’s best sports events below.

Nickel Trophy

The Nickel Trophy is the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual football meeting between the University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Hawks and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison, contested in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Grand Forks, home of North Dakota, or Fargo, home of North Dakota State, host games on a rotating basis.

The sides first met in 1894 and met annually until 2003, when North Dakota State announced its intention to transition to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Despite North Dakota transitioning to Division I in 2008, the rivalry was interrupted until 2015, when UND and NDSU announced a new series of games in 2015 and 2019. In 2021, the Fighting Hawks joined the MVC alongside its in-state rival.

Long winning streaks have characterized the rivalry for either team, with the Fighting Hawks winning twelve straight games between 1953 and 1964 and Bison winning 12 consecutive games between 1981 and 1992.

Dakota Marker

Football games between the North Dakota State Bison and South Dakota State University Jackrabbits are even more competitive than games between UND and NDSU. The two sides have been consistently competitive in the FCS for a decade, share a conference, and even award a trophy to the winners of the regular season meeting.

The two schools met regularly for several decades as part of the North Central Conference (NCC) in NCAA Division II. When the two schools transitioned to Division I, the Jackrabbits and Bison decided to compete for a new trophy, the Dakota Marker. The Marker is a quartzite monument made from mined Dakota stone. Adam Jones of the NDSU Chapter of Blue Key National Honor Society unveiled the trophy in 2004 to a community near the North Dakota/South Dakota border.

Since the advent of the 24-team FCS playoff, games have become hugely competitive. The two met in the playoff in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2023 in the championship game.

North Dakota Land-Based Sportsbooks

With lawmakers failing to pass legislation to regulate and license sportsbooks, tribal casinos now offer the only currently available sports betting in the state. Three tribal casinos accept wagers on-site. 

The compact between ND and the federally recognized tribes allows sports betting at tribal casinos. Tribal Casinos can offer any Class III gaming activities not prohibited by federal law as per the compact. After the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA, tribal casinos interpreted this to include sports betting. Below is a list of the casinos that currently accept bets in ND.

Two further tribal casinos, listed below, do not currently offer sports betting, but have indicated that they will in the future. Thanks to the Class III Gaming compact, they can also provide wagering on sports.

Other states that have passed sports betting legislation often allow racetracks to host retail sportsbooks on site. Therefore, should the North Dakota Legislature pass sports betting laws, racetracks could be the site of future retail sportsbooks. Currently, in North Dakota, two racetracks can offer pari-mutuel betting and race primarily in July. They are listed below. 

Finally, certain states allow off-track betting (OTB) locations, where bettors can wager on horse races from around the country, to handle sports wagers. Should sports betting become regulated by the state in ND, state law could allow OTB locations to offer sportsbooks. Below is a list of the state’s OTB locations.