Effort to Ban Greyhound Betting Online Fails in North Dakota

In its attempt to remap the procedures that regulate the gambling sector, North Dakota legislators have been busy lobbying for a number of bills in the last few months. 

At the end of January, Sens. Janne Myrdal and Larry Luick’s bill 2224 aimed at dropping the Gaming Commission picked up speed. 

At the end of March, the House expressed a strong vote against a bill that was aimed at changing which organizations would have the right to offer charitable gambling.

At the start of the week, Republican Senator Claire Cory’s bill seeking to prevent betting platforms from accepting wagers on greyhound racing worldwide failed to pass in the House.

Sen. Cory: Greyhound Racing Lacks Proper Regulation

Senate Bill 2384 was divided into two sections prior to the vote, with one part focusing on updating maintenance regulations for gaming machines. 

The more controversial portion was aimed at banning Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) from taking bets on greyhound races.

Sen. Cory argued that greyhound racing lacks proper regulation compared to horse racing and has been linked to criminal organizations and drug-related activities. 

She also downplayed concerns that the measure would significantly impact North Dakota’s horse racing industry, as the ADW restrictions were designed to be phased in over two years.

ADW Platforms Could Relocate to Other States If The Bill Passes

GREY2K USA Worldwide expressed support for the proposal. 

The advocacy group that focuses on passing “stronger greyhound protection laws” and ending “the cruelty of dog racing on both national and international levels” previously pointed out that the state is home to one of the largest simulcast betting hubs in the country, responsible for processing millions in wagers on a yearly basis.

Nonetheless, those who oppose the measure believe that banning greyhound racing bets could unintentionally interfere with the racing industry in the state as a whole. 

North Dakota Racing’s executive director, Bruce Johnson, spoke against the bill. Johnson referred to the bill as a direct attack on licensed and regulated ADW companies, fearing it would “shut off approximately 10% of the race wagering” that is currently processed through their 16 ADW partners.

The executive added that the same measure could “affect the same 10%” in the amount they tax their licensed ADWs while warning ADW platforms that they might be forced to relocate to other states if the bill becomes law.

This, in turn, could have a “devastating” impact on North Dakota’s live racing industry. 

Hazen Rep. Bill Tveit also took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of horse racing to North Dakota’s agricultural sector. 

“It’s creating jobs and income for family horse operations and is a huge tax earning for our state,” argued Tveit.

Licensed ADW platforms contribute tax revenue and charitable funds that help support the state’s general fund and racing commission. 

With the bill’s failure, these betting operations will keep accepting wagers on greyhound racing for the foreseeable future.

While North Dakota failed to ban greyhound race gambling this time around, Arkansas had better luck, with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently inking the bill that will prohibit greyhound racing while restricting simulcasts enabling state residents to gamble at out-of-state races and international races.