Online Gambling in South Dakota: The Ultimate Guide

Best South Dakota Online Gambling Sites

• Bovada  – Best South Dakota Gambling Site Overall
• DuckyLuck Casino  – Best Online Casino for South Dakotans
• BetUS  – Best SD Sports Betting Site
• Ignition Casino  – Best Poker Site for SD
• TrustDice  – Best South Dakota Cryptocurrency Gambling Site
• Las Atlantis Casino  – Best Bonus Package for South Dakotans
• SlotsandCasino  – Best Casino for Slots Players in SD
• Wild Casino  – Best SD Live Dealer Site

Comparison of Top Sites Serving South Dakota

How We Choose the Best Gambling Sites for South Dakotans

Our Jackpot Meter is designed to hand South Dakota gamblers site recommendations they can trust – fair, honest, and solid. It combines what players say with what experts think to find gambling sites that hit the mark for both.
We also do our own digging to make sure it all adds up. Here’s what we care about most:

• Bonuses — This is often what first attracts a gambler to an online casino. We take a very close look at the site’s welcome bonus(es), grading on comparative generosity and specific rollover requirements. We carefully read all the terms & conditions people tend to skip over. And we do this for all the other bonuses, as well, be they reload, referral, or otherwise.
• Entertainment Features – Quite a few intangibles go into making a gambling site entertaining, but there are plenty of objective benchmarks we can use to determine whether a gambler is likely to have fun there. Is the user interface intuitive in its design, simple to understand, and complete in its coverage? Do games download quickly, and are streaming games lag-free—and with good audio? And, does the site translate well to the mobile platform?
• Safety and Security – We only promote websites that are safe and secure, which means we make sure the site is using TLS encryption on all of its pages, particularly those involving the exchange of personal or financial data. We read the site’s privacy policy for clarity and completeness and do the same with the site’s terms & conditions. We also check for a valid gambling license, so you can be confident you’re protected when you play.
• Transactions – We ensure the site uses banking-level encryption for all of its transactions. We take particular interest in how efficiently and transparently a site processes withdrawal requests. Lastly, we read the banking terms & conditions and any other documents pertaining to withdrawals, and grade everything according to its legitimacy, fairness, and integrity.

Is Gambling Legal in South Dakota?

If you’ve been following along, you already know the answer to that question. Of course gambling is legal in South Dakota. However, there are restrictions on where that gambling may and may not take place and of course, what type of gambling is being offered. Strictly speaking, most South Dakota laws pertaining to internet gambling appear to be aimed at the operation of an online establishment within the state’s physical borders.

It would seem that the Mount Rushmore State is a gambler’s paradise. But while poker rooms are legal here, and nearly two dozen commercial and Indian casinos call South Dakota home, the state has some fairly restrictive laws concerning establishing or running an online casino.

In fact, virtually all of the laws regarding internet gambling appear to be aimed at persons working in the gambling industry or attempting to establish an internet casino themselves. Not at the players or gamblers themselves.

For instance, South Dakota Codified Laws Title 22, Chapter 25A -7, declares “…no person engaged in a gambling business may use the internet or an interactive computer service to bet or wager.”

Two other paragraphs ban the establishment of an internet gambling operation inside South Dakota. While seemingly harsh, these laws prohibiting those engaged in the gambling business from placing wagers themselves are quite common, even in gambling state states like Nevada.

While several sections of South Dakota law are clear about what casino operators and employees may and may not do, they are less clear about the activities of private citizens. Naturally, you could read all the pertinent laws and regulations about land-based gambling, online gambling, horse and dog racing, state lottery), or even the laws governing limited card games, slot machines, craps, roulette, and keno—just like we did. And you might be just as bewildered from the experience.

But we’re not attorneys here at GS. If you are concerned about gambling in South Dakota online or off, be sure to consult a local gambling attorney for the latest advice on wagering in the Mount Rushmore State.

Other forms of gambling are legal in South Dakota, as long as they’re practiced in one of the state’s designated gambling venues. These include horse racing, lotteries, and charitable gambling.

South Dakota Gambling History/Timeline

Future of Gambling in South Dakota

In recent years, many states have formally legalized different types of online gambling—and South Dakota is no exception. But the state has moved very slowly, making only minor changes to gambling laws—and then only to focus on the operators of gambling enterprises rather than on the private citizens who might patronize them.

The most recent attempt at widening access to gambling services in the Coyote State came in November 2021, with a ballot that proposed legalizing mobile sports betting throughout the state. While it was approved by the Senate in early 2022, it failed to gain enough support from the House Committee. It’s almost certain that South Dakota won’t make any significant changes to the state’s gambling laws in the near future.

Gambling Responsibly

Responsible gambling involves not spending too much money and knowing when to stop. A recent study ranked South Dakota as the second most gambling-addicted state in the US. Estimates say that anywhere from 0.4% to 2% of the adult population of South Dakota could be victims of problem gambling.

Thankfully, there are organizations that are committed to both preventing and tackling gambling-related problems. Below are the two main responsible gambling resources available in South Dakota:

• South Dakota Council on Problem Gambling
• South Dakota Department of Social Services

Legal Sources

1. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/22-25A
2. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/22-25A-8
3. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/22-25
4. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/42-7A
5. https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/22961
6. https://ballotpedia.org/South_Dakota_Gambling_in_Deadwood,_Amendment_B_(1988)
7. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/22-25A-7
8. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/22-25A-9
9. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/42-7
10. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/42-7B
11. https://sdlegislature.gov/Session/Bill/21865/219764

Start Playing at South Dakota Online Gambling Sites

This South Dakota online casino guide should have you closer to finding a gambling site in the state that fits your needs. If you want the best overall option, look no further than Bovada. Equipped with a loaded online casino and an expansive sportsbook, Bovada is the total package for all gamblers and even invites you to play with an appealing $3,750 crypto bonus.

Of course, depending on your specific needs, you may need other options. DuckyLuck grades out as the best online casino to play in South Dakota, BetUS is the #1 sportsbook, and Ignition Casino is your best bet for playing poker online.

You can do all kinds of gambling in South Dakota, as detailed by their numerous land-based options such as commercial and tribal casinos, as well as horse racing tracks, poker rooms, and the state lottery. However, if you wish to do your gambling online in South Dakota, you’ll need to turn to offshore options.

The good news? There are loads of viable options, and our #1 ranked option offers you everything you need. Feel free to head to Bovada to get started, or choose another sportsbook or casino from this guide that suits your needs best.

J.W.

Paine

Content Specialist

Articles

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J.W. Paine is one of the most experienced writers at GamblingSites.com. He’s written for television and the printed media, and is a published novelist (as Tom Elliott). Paine loves writing about Las Vegas nearly as much he loves living here. An experienced gambler, he’s especially familiar with thoroughbred horseracing, poker, blackjack, and slots.

See All J.W.’s Articles

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