North Dakota online sports betting bill defeated in House
North Dakota lawmakers voted against a bill to add online sports betting to the November 2026 ballot.
State Rep. Scott Louser, who introduced the bill, said he had “hoped to stave off a citizen-initiated measure on legalizing online sports betting with a resolution that would have put the issue up to a statewide vote.”
The House voted 70-24 against HCR 3002, with many lawmakers raising concerns about the potentially harmful effects of easy access to sports betting.
At a hearing on 15 January, State Rep. Lawrence Klemin suggested online sports betting would take money from North Dakota’s charitable gambling operations.
“While there may be perceived benefits to legalizing sports betting and using that revenue for education, the negative consequences — particularly for student-athletes and college students — are deeply concerning and cannot be ignored,” North Dakota University System Director of Student Affairs Katie Fitzsimmons said in a testimony.
The most recent attempt to pass sports wagering in North Dakota came after a previous online betting bill failed to pass in 2023. The updated proposal would have allowed legal online wagering while designating a significant proportion of tax revenue to the K-12 public school system.
As any online sports betting bill will need approval from a public vote, North Dakota will have to wait until at least 2028 for it to be legalized.
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