North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has signed new compacts with the state’s Native American Tribes that will lower the legal gambling age from 21 to 19 at Tribal-owned casinos.
The agreement further states that gamblers on-site at Tribal reservations will be able to make payments using debit or credit cards. Bettors will be able to access online sports betting within reservation boundaries but not outside of them.
Burgum rejected a plea by the state’s five Tribes last month to grant them exclusive hosting rights over internet gambling and sports betting outside of the reservation. This request hit a dead end as the practice is not allowed under North Dakota state law.
The second-term Republican Governor said in a statement that Tribal representatives signed off on the compacts last Friday after months of meetings.
In a written statement, Burgum commented: “We are deeply grateful to the Tribal chairs and their representatives for their collaboration throughout these many months of negotiations.
“We look forward to continuing the mutually beneficial gaming partnership between the state and the sovereign Tribal nations with whom we share geography.”
These new compacts replace the existing ones which were set to expire at the end of the year, and they will be in effect for the next decade.
The Tribes had initially pushed for more from these new agreements, asking for exclusive hosting rights for internet gambling and sports betting in the state. Gamblers throughout North Dakota would have been able to place mobile bets funneled through computer servers on Tribal land under these terms.
However, Burgum said: “A clear legal path does not exist for the governor to grant such a broad expansion of gaming.”
