That was fast.
North Dakota’s 2017 casino proposal has already been declared dead, as lawmakers soundly rejected it by a 28-63 vote last week, The Bismarck Tribune reported.
The legislation called for six privately-owned casinos. North Dakota already has tribal casinos, but those are regulated by the federal government. Before the proposal was amended, it called for the new casinos to be state-owned, very different from how offshore online casinos operate.
One state lawmaker reportedly cited concerns that the casino proposal, which North Dakota’s tribal groups opposed, was in retaliation to protests against the pollution of drinking water in the state. For months, activists have been trying to stop the state from allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The pipeline would bring about $110 million annually to the state’s coffers.
The casino plan, which was also opposed by charity gaming groups, came from Fargo Rep. Al Carlson. If that bill would have passed, state voters would have had the final say in a referendum.
