Deadwood Casinos Fined Amid Breaking South Dakota Gambling Laws

Multiple Deadwood casinos were recently fined for violating South Dakota’s gambling laws. The violations, which occurred earlier this year, highlighted lapses in adherence to state regulations.

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming officially approved the penalties earlier this week.

IGT and DWD Resorts Fined for Illegal Bets

One of the incidents involved a self-serve kiosk operated by IGT at The Lodge at Deadwood Casino. 

On September 14, the kiosk accepted three bets on a football game between Black Hills State University and St. Thomas University. 

Under South Dakota law, wagering on games involving state college or university teams is prohibited. 

The bets were voided within 10 to 15 minutes, and IGT self-reported the violations on September 16. As a result, IGT was fined $3,000.

Additionally, the owner of The Lodge at Deadwood, DWD Resorts, was also penalized for the same incident.

Casino staff promptly identified the illegal bets, retrieved the tickets, refunded the money, and notified both IGT and the commission. 

For these actions, DWD Resorts received a $3,000 fine, with $2,250 suspended.

Blue Sky Gaming Fined for Improper Surveillance 

Another case involved Blue Sky Gaming, the operator of Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort. On August 20, the casino failed to maintain proper surveillance over key areas, including tables, count rooms, and the cashier cage. 

According to executive secretary Mark Heltzel, a hardware malfunction caused the issue. 

Blue Sky Gaming has since invested in new surveillance equipment to prevent future violations. The commission imposed a $3,000 fine, with $1,500 suspended.

Table Games Manager Fined for Breaching Table Limits 

In a separate violation, Spearfish-based Colt Martin, a table games manager at Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort, was fined for a breach related to blackjack table limits. 

On July 16, dealers at the resort allowed bets on seven blackjack games that exceeded the $200 table limit. 

Martin failed to report the infraction until July 26. As a consequence, he was slapped with a $100 fine.

Similarly, in July, Rivers Casino Portsmouth received $545,000 in fines over alleged breaches referring to underaged individuals and players who had previously self-excluded from gambling.

At the start of the year, Ontario-based MGE Niagara Entertainment Inc. was slapped with a $52,000 fine for an alleged money laundering incident.

According to the Ontario regulator, the casino enabled a “high-risk” player to exchange CA$80,000 ($60,000) in cash for chips and leave without engaging in any form of gambling.

At the end of November, betting operators Amelco and William Hill were fined $10,000 and $20,000, respectively by the Division of Gaming Enforcement due to alleged breaches of gambling regulations.