Sioux Tribe Reaches New Casino Deal With South Dakota
South Dakota officials have reached an agreement with representatives of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on a new gambling compact. The deal, which will govern the Grand River Casino outside Mobridge, South Dakota, will span ten years.
Governor Mike Rounds and tribal leaders signed the pact at the casino late yesterday. The previous arrangement between the Indians and the state was put in place in 2001.
Tribal gaming became available after South Dakota voters approved gambling in the historic town of Deadwood in 1989. Federal law allows tribes the right to host any form of gambling on the reservation that is permissible anywhere else in the state.
Since the Deadwood bill, eight of South Dakota's nine recognized tribes have installed gaming venues.
The deal gives the Grand River Casino permission to host 250 slot machines, as well as unlimited poker and blackjack tables. Maximum bets are set at one hundred dollars, the same as state-licensed casinos in Deadwood.
Governor Rounds pointed out that, while much of the compact remains unchanged, there are a few new wrinkles. The tribe is required to carry liability insurance now to protect patrons, said the governor.
“The new compact is for a term of 10 years, six years longer than the previous four-year compact,” Rounds said.
