The first Class III gaming compact to be awarded since voters approved a constitutional amendment to expand gaming in South Dakota recently was approved for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Larry Roberts, director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, approved the amendment, which was published in the Federal Register on April 22. Now the tribe can offer craps, keno and roulette at its gaming facilities.
Constitutional Amendment Q was passed by South Dakota voters in November 2014, authorizing non-Indian gaming facilities in Deadwood to offer craps, keno and roulette. Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribes can offer the same types of games that are legal in a state. As a result, the Oglalas are the first with an approved compact that includes the new games.
Amendment Q passed on the Pine Ridge Reservation with 69 percent of the vote and on the neighboring Rosebud Sioux Reservation with 63 percent. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe currently is negotiating an update to its state gaming compact, which has been extended until to August 4.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe owns and operates the Prairie Wind Casino & Hotel in Pine Ridge and the East Wind Casino near Martin.
