Legal: Bet now

North Dakota Sports Betting And Sportsbook Apps 2024

North Dakota sports betting is distinct in the US legal landscape. Sports betting has existed throughout the state since December 2021 without an explicit statute or law in the North Dakota Century Code.

Instead, the sports betting options in North Dakota are available at tribal gambling facilities around the state. Each federally recognized tribe offers on-site sports betting because of explicit language in its state compact, meaning that sports betting — at least in-person sports betting — appears to be here to stay in the state.

Below is all the latest news, information, and updates about North Dakota sports betting.

Written by

Bart Shirley

Last updated:

Fact checked by

Dustin Gouker

As seen in

Is sports betting legal in North Dakota?

Yes. Laws to legalize North Dakota sports betting came into effect in December 2021. The state’s federally recognized tribes can offer sports betting on their reservation lands; several already do so. It’s not clear if the abstaining members of the group are planning to offer sports betting in the future, but the decision resides with them — there are no legal hurdles they must first navigate.

Incidentally, in 2021, North Dakota lawmakers rejected a motion to allow for a ballot measure to make retail sports betting officially legal at the tribal locations rather than as a clause in their compacts. However, the failure within the North Dakota Legislative Assembly has no real practical repercussions for the tribes, who continue to offer on-site sports betting

Is online sports betting legal in North Dakota?

No. There is no enabling legislation or constitutional amendment to allow online sportsbooks in North Dakota. 

In December 2021, North Dakota lawmakers rejected legislation to allow a ballot measure for online sports betting to be on the November 2022 ballot for voters. Approval from voters is necessary to move forward with online sports betting, so there can be no online wagering on the ballot until 2024, which means no online sportsbooks offering online sports betting promos until 2025 at the earliest.

Where can I bet on sports in North Dakota?

So far, three tribes in North Dakota have opened sportsbooks. The first location was at the Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson. The Dakota Nation Enterprise (the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) took the first bet in North Dakota in December 2021. The launch occurred only days before the North Dakota Legislative Assembly voted down two pieces of legislation to expand sports betting throughout the state.

Since the launch in Hankinson, two other sportsbooks have opened:

Two other facilities have the same eligibility to offer sports betting as the three above. Their respective tribal authorities have not elected to do so yet, but that may change soon. Representatives at the Prairie Knights Casino in Fort Yates and the Spirit Lake Casino in St. Michael confirmed that discussions and planning are underway for retail books. Still, neither party furnished any sort of timeline for a debut.

What sportsbook apps are available in North Dakota?

None. Sports betting in North Dakota is available only in person on tribal lands, not in the rest of the state. Lawmakers rejected a bill to offer online sports betting as a ballot measure in December 2021, and no similar measure is possible in the state until November 2024 — at least. Any sites that claim to be legal online sportsbooks in North Dakota are not trustworthy (more on this below).

North Dakota sports betting law

There is no traditional sports betting law on the books in North Dakota. North Dakota lawmakers rejected a recent attempt to put the issue in front of voters. However, the tribes in North Dakota can offer on-site sports betting through language in their compacts with the state, which includes the following:

III. AUTHORIZED CLASS III GAMING.

3.1 Kinds of Gaming Authorized. The Tribe shall have the right to operate upon Tribal trust lands within the exterior boundaries of the Lake Traverse Reservation as established in the Treaty of February 19, 1867, and the lands and waters identified in Section XXXIII below, the following Class III games during the term of this Compact, pursuant to Tribal Law and Federal Law, but subject to limitations set forth within this Compact.

G. Sports Book except as prohibited by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection
Act, P.L. 102-559; 28 U.S.C. Chap. 178,.Pt. VI;

All five tribes have the same language in their most recent compacts, enacted in March 2013. So, given the dismissal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act by the US Supreme Court in 2018, all five tribes suddenly found themselves authorized to offer sports betting on their tribal lands. 

The sports betting oversight authority falls to each tribe’s gambling commission or regulatory body. The exact rules at each sportsbook may vary, but the overall operation is (by the compact) subject to state inspection at any time. You will likely find a mostly uniform experience no matter where you go.

Popular sports to bet on in ND

North Dakota is one of only five states with fewer than 1 million residents. Consequently, no major professional sports teams call the state home, as the prospects for home games would be sparse. College and high school teams are very popular locally, but North Dakotans must look beyond state lines for top-level pro teams for which to root. In many cases, the closest option geographically is in Minnesota. 

NFL

The NFL season is the busy season for sportsbooks nationwide, and the Super Bowl is the biggest sports betting day of the year. The nearest team to North Dakota is in Minnesota:

NBA

NBA games are popular for both sports fans and sports bettors. Basketball is part of the US sports year for all but the depths of summer, and the sport is quite popular locally in North Dakota. But as far as pro teams go, the closest option for most North Dakotans lies in nearby Minnesota.

MLB

Major League Baseball remains the top level of play for America’s pastime. While it is not in the same popularity category as the NFL or the NBA, it is still an integral part of the American sports landscape. Once again, the team in Minnesota is the closest option for rooting interests and betting:

NHL

North Dakota is undeniably a hockey state. The Fighting Hawks from the University of North Dakota might be the most popular team in any sport in the state and have captured the NCAA Division I hockey championship multiple times, most recently in 2016. Here are the closest NHL teams to North Dakota:

NCAA

North Dakotans have two options for betting on local schools, as two universities in the state play in the NCAA’s Division I.

Some states have provisions in their sports betting laws to limit or prohibit wagering on in-state college athletics. In this case, North Dakota sports bettors are aided by the lack of an active sports betting statute. However, each sportsbook will have its rules, so you might want to check with your destination sportsbook beforehand.

Other types of gambling in North Dakota

The limited sports betting in North Dakota is not the only way to place a bet. Here are the different options for gambling in North Dakota beyond wagering on sports:

Tribal casinos

The most complete gambling locations in North Dakota are five tribal casinos. No other venues in North Dakota offer an experience as near to a visit to Las Vegas or Atlantic City as these facilities. Depending on the venue, you may be able to find slots, table games, poker and other types of games. As we discussed earlier, you can also bet on sports at some of these locations:

The exact roster of games varies from casino to casino. If you plan to visit one of these facilities soon and have a particular game in mind, check if it’s available before you get in the car.

Charitable casinos

Several other locations in North Dakota offer gaming options without being full-service casinos. Generally speaking, gaming is only part of the services at these venues, which often combine bowling, bingo, and sports bar-type offerings under one roof.

You will not find true slots or much variety within the table games at these sites. The slot options are electronic pull-tabs, the virtual version of the games typically available in bingo halls. The only table games dependably at these locations are blackjack and paddlewheels, the latter of which resembles Big 6 or other “wheel of fortune”-style games. Some of these properties may hold poker games or tournaments occasionally, too.

Additionally, all of the gaming at these venues is managed by licensed charitable organizations. The organizations can offer wagering as a form of fundraising for themselves. Although a full list of these places is hard to produce, here are some of the options:

It is even more important that you call ahead before visiting one of these locations. The exact lineup and availability of games will vary more frequently than at an established tribal casino.

Horse betting

Although North Dakota’s climate doesn’t suggest a favorable destination, the state is nonetheless active in horse betting in a rather comprehensive manner. All three major avenues for betting on horse racing are present, and people in the state don’t even have to leave their homes if they want to wager.

The first way to bet on horse races is to visit one of the state’s two live horse racing tracks. Both venues offer roughly half a dozen race days during the summer, primarily in July. Each track offers pari-mutuel wagering. Here are the tracks:

North Dakotans may also visit one of several standalone off-track betting locations spread around the state. Although the experience of seeing the horses race in person is not available at these places, they offer wagering on horse races around the country (and the world) in a way that the live tracks do not. They also have more expansive hours and dates of operation, so it’s good to know where you can place a wager if it’s any month besides June or July:

Finally, you’re in luck if you prefer not to leave your house, office, or favorite coffee shop but would still like to bet on horse racing. North Dakota allows online horse betting via advance deposit wagering sites such as TVG, FanDuel Racing, and TwinSpires. FanDuel TV (formerly TVG) is a digital cable, satellite, and streaming network covering horse racing and betting. 

Daily fantasy sports

Daily fantasy sports contests exist in legal limbo in North Dakota. The North Dakota Century Code is silent on the issue, meaning that DFS is neither expressly legal nor explicitly illegal. It remains a murky situation, but law enforcement in the state has remained passive on the issue. 

Thus, you can participate in DFS contests on PrizePicks, Underdog, Fliff, and any other providers that operate in the state. The only thing to be sure to do is stick with known vendors. A fly-by-night DFS operator might try to swoop in in an unregulated environment. It probably is if a site or bonus seems too good to be true.

Lottery

The North Dakota Lottery serves as the state’s official lottery game provider. It is an arm of the state government and is the only lottery operator allowed to sell tickets to people in the state.

However, a couple of elements about the ND Lottery’s offering differ from what you’ll find in most other states with lottery games. The first is that the ND Lottery does not sell scratchers (aka instant win). Although these games are a staple for most places, the only types of lottery games in North Dakota are multistate and in-state jackpot drawings. 

The other wrinkle is that the North Dakota Lottery lets you purchase tickets through its app. Although these tickets are merely for the draw games, the ND Lottery nonetheless has an iLottery function. 

North Dakota participates in Mega Millions and Powerball, which have fielded estimated jackpots in excess of $1 billion at times. Other draw games on sale through the ND Lottery include Lucky 4 Life, which offers a chance to win a weekly stream of money, and Lotto America, a smaller jackpot game with an annuitized pay structure. Finally, you can participate in North Dakota’s 2BY2 if you want to play smaller games more frequently.

north Dakota Sports Betting Alternatives

Daily fantasy sports and social sportsbooks are available in North Dakota. Learn more about North Dakota DFS, social sportsbooks, and the available promotions and bonus codes from operators like PrizePicks, Underdog, and Fliff by clicking the links below.

Underdog Promo code
PrizePicks Promo code 
fliff social sportsbook

Comparing North Dakota sports betting to South Dakota

Although comparing the two Dakotas is a bit knee-jerk, there’s no denying that they are a valid apples-to-apples sample about sports betting. Though their legal approaches are quite different, the result is that both are quite similar in key areas. Neither state has authorized online sports betting state-wide, but South Dakota sportsbooks in Deadwood can offer an app for use on casino premises.

StateNorth DakotaSouth Dakota
Retail sports betting?YesYes
Sportsbook locations– Tribal casinos– Casinos in Deadwood
– Tribal casinos
Online sports bettingNoYes*
Specific rules or restrictions– No gaming commission
– No overall rule set		– No wagering on in-state college teams
– No wagering on individual college athletes
– No wagering on minor league games
*No apps have launched as of yet.

FAQ on North Dakota sports betting

Who oversees sports betting in North Dakota?

The tribal gaming commission for each sportsbook. Each sovereign tribe is responsible for managing all the gambling on its lands. However, North Dakota does maintain the right to inspect the operations, so if you have a dispute that you cannot resolve with the tribal commission, you may be able to find some aid in Bismarck.

What is the gambling age for ND sports bettors?

Although the tribes have sovereignty, each compact explicitly restricts sports betting to those 21 or older. 

Do I have to be inside North Dakota to play?

Yes. Since no online sportsbooks are available in North Dakota, there is no logistical way to place a bet outside the state. If you want to play, you must drive to a tribal casino with a sportsbook.

Do I have to be a resident of North Dakota to bet at ND sportsbooks?

No. So long as you are of legal age and in one of the approved facilities, you can bet on sports.

Why are there online sportsbooks that say they are legal in North Dakota?

They exist in a legal gray zone. A Google search may reveal multiple online sportsbooks that say they accept wagers from North Dakota, and some of them may seem quite legitimate. While they may claim to be legal, that’s a bit of a half-truth on their part. There is no explicit law allowing or banning online sports betting in North Dakota, and they interpret that as permission. 

ND sports betting resources

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Compact Amendment: An example of the legislation empowering sports betting in North Dakota

North Dakota Legislative Assembly: State lawmaking body

Gambler ND: Responsible gambling resource in North Dakota