Guide to South Dakota Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

South Dakota has a thriving gambling scene, with many forms of legalized wagering it has become a favoured past time for residents of the state. With legalized commercial & tribal casinos and an ever-popular statewide lottery there are plenty of in-person forms of gambling to enjoy in the Mount Rushmore State.

Along with its liberal approach towards the popular forms of gaming, South Dakota has also adopted a liberal approach to the legal gambling age for most forms of legal wagering. Where many surrounding states have adopted a blanket age of 21 is the legal South Dakota gambling age for all forms of gaming, South Dakota enables 18-year-olds to participate in most of its popular forms.

In the table above we have outlined the legal ages for all popular forms of gambling in South Dakota. As mentioned in the paragraphs above South Dakota has a relatively liberal approach to the minimum age of its players. As indicated in the table, the legal gambling age for daily fantasy sports, lottery, bingo and parimutuel betting is 18. Whereas, the minimum age for commercial casinos in the Mount Rushmore State is 21. However, there are some tribal casinos in South Dakota that permit entry to 18-year-olds. If there is no age present under a form of gambling listed in the table then that it is most likely illegal in South Dakota.

On this page, we will delve into the nuances of South Dakota’s legal gambling ages for each form of legalized gambling. We will also discuss each form in greater detail, including the history and legalization of each within the state. In addition to this, we will also discuss any future gambling legislation changes that might be on the horizon.

Casino Age in South Dakota

South Dakota has a very established history with land-based casino gaming. Since the 1980s land-based tribal casinos had been established within the state, these casinos gained their legality following the passing of the federal law, the Indian Gaming Act of 1988 (IGA). South Dakota was quick to adopt the IGA into state law and local tribes we’re quick to enter into compacts with the state and open casinos on tribal lands. At last count, there were 13 tribal casinos operating Within South Dakota’s state borders.

Unlike many states that allow tribal gaming the nine tribes operating casinos within South Dakota have free reign to operate Class III gaming within their establishments. Class III gaming includes all popular traditional casino games including blackjack, roulette, poker and craps.

South Dakota also has a long history with commercial casinos and offers them in 25 locations within the city limits of Deadwood city. Commercial gambling was legalized in 1988 within the limits of Deadwood in an effort to revitalize the town. initially, the gambling laws for commercial casinos placed severe limits on wagering and the type of games that could be offered dash however, these limitations had been relaxed over the years in most commercial casinos now offer plethora or popular casino games including blackjack, poker, slots and roulette.

The legal casino age for South Dakota is 21 for all commercial casinos. However, under the state-tribal compacts local tribes are able to sit the legal gambling age for their casinos. While most have adopted the age of 21 there are a few that allow entry to 18-year-olds, we will discuss this in further detail later on this page.

The legal gambling age for entering casinos is most likely set 21 as this is also the legal drinking age across the US. The majority of commercial casinos within South Dakota offer complimentary alcoholic beverages to visitors, therefore through limiting the entry age to only those who can legally drink, casinos are able to limit the liability bye attempting to ensure they do not serve any underage minors.

What are The Casinos In South Dakota that accept 18 year Olds?

As mentioned earlier there are some casinos in South Dakota that allow entry to 18-year-olds . A limited number of tribal casinos have opened the casino entry age to 18, making South Dakota a rarity in the US where most legal casino gambling ages are limited to a blanket 21. For those 18-year-olds interested in gaming at a casino in South Dakota, we have pulled together the names and addresses of those casinos that permit entry to 18-year-olds in the table below.

Sports Betting In South Dakota

In a move that appears at odds with South Dakota’s more liberal stance to other forms of gambling, sports betting is not yet legal within the Mount Rushmore state. In 2018, the commercial casinos operating within deadwood’s city limits attempted to legalize sports betting within South Dakota by filing a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow betting on sporting events within South Dakota’s commercial and tribal casinos.

As of 2020 the constitutional amendment is due to be put to a state-wide referendum and should the majority of voters approve the proposed amendment to legalize land-based sports betting, South Dakota’s state legislature would then be obliged to pass the amendment into law. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic all referendums within South Dakota have been indefinitely delayed and it remains to be seen when South Dakota residents will be given the chance to vote on the legalization of sports betting.

While traditional sports betting is still illegal in South Dakota there are still other forms of sports wagering that residents can enjoy. The first of which is parimutuel betting. Harry mutuel wagering on horse races has been legalized in South Dakota since 1987, it was allowed so long as all wagering was incorporated under charitable gameplay. Today’s there are only two live horse racing tracks remaining in South Dakota, there have been attempts by state lawmakers to legalize the establishment of further tracks or racinos within the state but all efforts have been defeated.

Another form of legal sports wagering within The Mount Rushmore State is Daily Fantasy Sports. the most popular form of online gambling in the US, Daily Fantasy Sports, has only recently been made legal in South Dakota and we will discuss it in further detail later on this page.

SD Online Gambling Age

Unfortunately for residents of South Dakota , all forms of online gambling are illegal within The Mount Rushmore State. While casino gaming as a whole form an important part of South Dakota’s economy there have been zero moves towards adopting an online casino within South Dakota. South Dakota residents and the South Dakota legislature appear to be happy keeping all forms of casino gambling land-based. Therefore, it seems very unlikely that the state will adopt any regulation or constitutional changes relating to online wagering anytime soon.

While many states used the 2011 federal overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992 (PASPA), As an opportunity to legalize both in-person and online sports betting, South Dakota adopted neither. it appears dash South Dakota’s residents do not feel that they’re missing out on anything by not having legalized forms of online gambling. As there are no forms of legalized online gaming in the Mount Rushmore State there is no legal online gambling age.

Residents of South Dakota may notice that they are able to access online gambling sites that are run by offshore entities, residents should be advised against wagering on any of these sites for several reasons. the first being that online gambling is illegal in South Dakota, instead anyone caught betting on one of these offshore online gaming sites could be prosecuted under state law.

The second reason Residents should avoid gambling on offshore websites is that’s as these sites are run by offshore entities they are not regulated or licensed within the US. this means that if any South Dakota resident has any issues with an offshore gambling site, for example, funds mysteriously disappear, they would have no recourse against the site under state or federal laws.

Poker Gambling Age

Poker is the world’s most popular casino game, thankfully for residents of South Dakota land-based poker is legal at the states commercial casinos and tribal casinos. As the only locations South Dakota’s residents can play poker at are casinos, the legal South Dakota gambling age for poker is mainly 21 but varies depending on the particular casino’s age limit.

Like all forms of online gambling in South Dakota, online poker is illegal in South Dakota. Unfortunately for residents of the state who want to enjoy Poker online it doesn’t look like it will be legalised anytime soon as there have been no recent moves to attempt to legalize it.

Daily Fantasy Sports

In an unusual move for South Dakota there have been official declarations stating that residents of the state are able to play Daily Fantasy Sports without fear of being prosecuted. In 2016 the state’s Attorney General made a declaration that while Daily Fantasy Sports has many similarities with gambling, he was not yet certain whether it was a game based on skill or luck and until this distinction felony indictments would not be made on operators or players.

Since 2016 there have been no further announcements on Daily Fantasy Sports and its legality within South Dakota, so, for now, it operates in a very grey area of legality and will until the state makes a definitive call on whether Daily Fantasy Sports is a game of chance or skill.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in South Dakota

As a crucial part of South Dakota’s gambling scene, the state lottery has been legal since the 1980s. Offering both regional and national games such as Powerball, Mega Millions and lucky for life amongst others the state lottery has been embraced by residents of the Mount Rushmore State.

The legal gambling age for playing the state lottery in South Dakota is 18, this is in line with most other US states who allow for a lower legal gambling age for the lottery. the state lottery is organized by The South Dakota lottery and all funds raised are invested directly back into the state. on average, the South Dakota lottery invests over $120 million a year into state-funded infrastructure, institutions and the education system.

Like all forms of online gambling in South Dakota, there is no legal form of online lottery. Due to South Dakota’s aversion to any form of online gaming, it doesn’t look as if an online lottery will be legalized anytime soon. The state lottery is popular enough as it is in its current in-person form and it appears that until there is or want for an online luxury amongst South Dakota’s residents the lottery will remain an in-person activity.

South Dakota Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

South Dakota’s gaming laws can be found in code section 20 three of the state’s constitution. Under this code, gambling is defined as, ‘wagering anything of value upon the outcome of a game of chance; maintaining gambling place or equipment’, all legal and illegal forms of gambling discussed on this page would fall Under this very broad definition. Any form of legal wagering allowed within South Dakota finds its legality through constitutional amendments or state legislation that specifically allows it to exist as an exemption to the states more general ban on gambling outlined in code 23 of the constitution.

South Dakota’s gambling market is very healthy for a state that has not adopted any form of online betting. The commercial casino and tribal casino markets bring in the largest amount of revenue from any wagering form within the state and support thousands of jobs. As mentioned earlier, the state lottery also raking Hundreds of millions of dollars a year which helps support state infrastructure.

Gambling winnings in South Dakota are taxed. They are considered personal income and therefore are taxed at each individual’s personal income tax bracket. The state lottery is a slight exception to this as it also has a federal tax applied to it should an individual win more than $5000.

As mentioned above the gambling market in South Dakota is currently very healthy and as of 2019 was continuing to grow year on year. All popular forms of placing a wager, bar sports betting, are legal within the state albeit only in person. If you would like to check out more about the situation in other states, then refer to our legal gambling ages in the USA article.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope this page has provided you with an overview of all of the important laws in state, along with an insight into what the South Dakota gambling age is. If you still have any outstanding questions take a look at the answers provided below to the most frequently asked questions.