Trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher have combined to win the last four runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and eight of the last 15. Both Hall of Fame trainers have top contenders for the 42nd running of the Juvenile to be run Oct. 31 at Del Mar.
While Baffert appears to have a bushel of contenders, Pletcher is likely to go with just one. But Ted Noffey might be the right one.
Last year, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. made the most of an inspired decision when Soul of an Angel cut back in distance late in her 5-year-old season and went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at odds of 19-1. Joseph has a live chance to defend his title at Del Mar in this year’s edition, but like several trainers blessed with options, it is still unclear which horses will represent him in the starting gate.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Big money changed hands on the expansive Keeneland grounds during the track’s September yearling sale. More big money, for horsemen and patrons, will be on offer as the bucolic track opens its 17-day fall meet Friday, running through Oct. 25.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Private Label seems poised to clear the nonwinners-of-two condition in Friday’s Woodbine feature for Ontario-sired allowance types and $40,000 claimers. The versatile 4-year-old meets nine others in the 1 1/16-mile inner turf route and should be favored from post 1 under Ryan Munger.
A flashy chestnut owned by Uphill Stable, Private Label hasn’t been worse than fourth in six outings for trainer Rachel Halden. He graduated in his third start in a $40,000 maiden race that was taken off the turf July 13, earning his best Beyer Speed Figure, a 75.
If the prospective field for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff stays intact, early favorite Thorpedo Anna is not a lock to score a repeat victory next month at Del Mar.
Fourteen fillies and mares are under Distaff consideration, double the number that ran in the mundane 2024 Distaff won by Thorpedo Anna at 2-5. She was lone speed in a field decimated by scratches and early retirement.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As fast as Belgian ran on the dirt in his debut, trainer George Weaver admitted it was tempting to keep the 2-year-old colt on that surface for his next start. However, Weaver believes Belgian is meant to be a turf horse, which is why he has elected to run him in Friday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Futurity Stakes going six furlongs over Aqueduct’s outer turf course.
Sports betting has been legal in South Dakota since September 2021, though it operates in a limited form. Legal sportsbooks are located in the city of Deadwood, and several tribal casinos also offer in-person wagering.
At this time, retail betting is the only option available. South Dakota does not permit statewide mobile or online sports betting, and past legislative efforts to expand wagering beyond casino properties have not succeeded.
While online sportsbooks could theoretically launch in the future, any mobile betting under current law would likely be restricted to on-site wagering within Deadwood casino properties.
We’ll continue to monitor legislative developments and retail expansions and provide updates as South Dakota’s sports betting landscape evolves.
Disclaimer: For those outside of South Dakota, you may face restrictions on the offers you see on this page.
Yes. Sports betting is legal in South Dakota, but it is limited to in-person wagering at licensed casinos in Deadwood and at participating tribal casinos.
Bettors must place wagers while physically present at an approved casino. Additionally, state law prohibits wagering on:
High school sporting events
Minor league games
Proposition bets on individual college athletes
Any game involving South Dakota-based college teams
Yes - but only in a very limited sense.
South Dakota law allows online sports betting only if the wager is placed while physically located inside a licensed Deadwood casino. There is no statewide mobile betting, and no sportsbook promos currently offers full online access or promotional mobile platforms within the state.
Title 42, Chapter 7B of South Dakota’s Codified Laws states that:
“Any sports wagering may only be conducted on the premises of a licensed gaming establishment as approved by the commission within the city of Deadwood.”
In theory, a sportsbook could operate a mobile app, but it would only function within the geofenced boundaries of its partner casino in Deadwood.
Efforts to expand online sports betting beyond casino premises - including legislative proposals as recently as 2022 - have failed to advance through the South Dakota Legislature.
Because retail wagering is effectively the only legal form of sports betting in South Dakota, all sportsbooks operate inside licensed casino properties.
The majority of sportsbook locations are found in Deadwood, the historic gaming hub that hosts numerous commercial casinos.
Outside of Deadwood, sports betting is available at select tribal casinos located throughout the state. However, there are no standalone sportsbooks or statewide mobile betting options.
To place a legal wager in South Dakota, you must visit one of these approved casino properties in person.
Retail sports betting in South Dakota is authorized under Senate Joint Resolution 501 (SJR 501), which amended the state constitution in 2020 to permit sports wagering.
Because most forms of legalized gambling in South Dakota are limited to the city of Deadwood, sports betting is likewise restricted to licensed retail casinos within Deadwood. The primary exception is tribal casinos, which may offer sports wagering if the games are also permitted in Deadwood.
The path to legalization began with a public vote. In November 2019, South Dakota voters approved constitutional Amendment B - allowing sports betting in Deadwood - by a margin of 58% to 42%.
Following that approval, the Legislature advanced SJR 501 to formally amend the constitution. While regulatory details took additional time to finalize, the statewide vote made legalization largely inevitable.
South Dakota law bans betting on:
High school sporting events
Minor league games
Games involving South Dakota-based colleges and universities
Proposition bets on individual college athletes, regardless of the school they attend
The law also prohibits certain individuals from participating in sports wagering, including:
Athletes
Coaches
Referees
Trainers
Sportsbook employees
Additionally, it is illegal to place a wager on behalf of someone else or to bet under a false name.
South Dakota does not have any major professional sports franchises. The closest pro representation is the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the NBA G League affiliate of the Miami Heat, and the Sioux Falls Canaries, an independent minor league baseball team.
However, under South Dakota law, betting on minor league teams is prohibited. That means neither the Skyforce nor the Canaries are eligible wagering options.
As a result, many South Dakotans follow and bet on professional teams in neighboring Minnesota. Given the NFL’s nationwide popularity, Minnesota-based teams tend to attract the most betting interest in the state.
NFL: Minnesota Vikings
NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves
MLB: Minnesota Twins
NHL: Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche
Among these, Vikings games are typically the most popular betting markets.
Sports betting is just one form of legal gambling available in South Dakota. The state offers several additional wagering options.
South Dakota’s commercial casinos are concentrated in Deadwood, the state’s historic gaming hub. In addition, several tribal casinos operate throughout the state.
Legal casino games include:
Blackjack
Craps
Roulette
Poker
Keno
Slot machines
State regulations cap the maximum wager at $1,000 per bet.
Buffalo-Bodega Complex
Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort
Celebrity Hotel Museum & Gaming
Deadwood Comfort Inn
Deadwood Gulch Resort
Deadwood Station Bunkhouse & Gambling Hall
First Gold Gaming Resort
Gold Country Inn Gambling Hall & Cafe
Gold Dust Casino & Hotel
Hickok’s Hotel & Gaming
Historic Bullock Hotel
Holiday Inn Resort Deadwood Mountain Grand
Iron Horse Inn & Casino
Lucky 8 Casino
Mineral Palace Casino
Mustang Sally’s Casino
Saloon #10 Casino
Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex
The Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort
Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort
Wooden Nickel Casino
Dakota Connection - Sisseton
Dakota Sioux Casino - Watertown
Golden Buffalo Casino - Lower Brule
Grand River Casino - Mobridge
Lode Star Casino - Fort Thompson
Prairie Wind Casino - Pine Ridge
Rosebud Casino - Mission
Royal River Casino - Flandreau
Together, these venues make casino gaming the most widely available form of gambling in South Dakota outside of retail sports betting.
South Dakota offers limited but accessible horse betting options.
Live horse races are typically held during summer fair meets. According to South Dakota Gaming, races are traditionally conducted at:
Stanley County Fair
Brown County Fair
These events provide seasonal opportunities for live wagering.
South Dakota has one active off-track betting (OTB) location:
Triple Crown Casino - North Sioux City
This facility offers simulcast wagering on races from across the country, along with video lottery gaming.
Residents can also place wagers through licensed online advance deposit wagering (ADW) platforms. These sites allow bettors aged 18 and older to wager on horse races held nationwide.
The South Dakota Lottery offers several types of games:
Players can participate in major multi-state jackpots such as:
Mega Millions
Powerball
The lottery also features smaller in-state draw games.
Instant win scratcher tickets are widely available at authorized retailers.
South Dakota also operates thousands of video lottery terminals across the state. These machines offer instant-win style games similar to electronic scratch-offs or keno.
Players can use the official lottery app to scan tickets and redeem eligible winnings.
South Dakota does not have a law explicitly authorizing or prohibiting daily fantasy sports (DFS).
The most recent public statement from state law enforcement, issued in 2015, indicated that DFS participants would not face criminal penalties. As a result, major DFS operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel, Underdog, and PrizePicks currently offer contests to players located in South Dakota.
Current Sportsbooks
10Licenses Allowed
12Cadillac Jack's Gaming Resort: 360 Main St, Deadwood, SD 57732
Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort: 555 Lower Main St, Deadwood, SD 57732
March, 2020
South Dakota's legislature narrowly votes to send the questions of whether to legalize sports betting in the town of Deadwood to the state's voters.
November 3, 2020
Fifty-eight percent of South Dakota voters approve a ballot measure to legalize sports betting at casinos in the town of Deadwood.
August, 2021
The South Dakota Legislature passes legislation which establishes a framework for how sports wagering will be implemented in Deadwood.
September 9, 2021
The first sports wager in South Dakota is placed at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort in Deadwood.
March, 2022
Legislation to have South Dakotans vote on whether to authorize statewide mobile wagering passes the Senate but gets shot down by a House committee.
It is legal to bet on sports in South Dakota, with a few key caveats. Bettors can only wager on sports at in-state tribal casinos or at commercial casinos in the town of Deadwood, and the legislature has yet to authorize mobile wagering.
Anyone who's 21 years of age or older can bet on sports in South Dakota.
The South Dakota Gaming Commission regulates sports wagering in South Dakota.
South Dakotans can bet on a variety of sporting events, including baseball, basketball, fighting, football, golf, hockey, Olympic Games, auto racing, rodeo, rugby, soccer, and tennis.
Wagering on athletic events involving colleges or students based in South Dakota is not permitted. Prop bets on all collegiate athletic events are now allowed either.
Neither the South Dakota Legislature nor its courts have taken up the issue of daily fantasy sports, but law enforcement has stated that people who participate in DFS contests would not be punished. Hence, major DFS operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog have a presence in the state.
Betting on horse races is legal in South Dakota, be it online through account wagering or via simulcast at the Triple Crown Casino's off-track betting parlor in North Sioux City. While there are no commercial racetracks in the state, live racing is held annually at a handful of county fairs.
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21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Jose Lezcano, who suffered a broken collarbone in a spill at Saratoga on Aug. 29, will be back in the saddle Friday at Aqueduct. He is named on four horses on Friday’s card and six on Saturday.
Lezcano was injured when Catchy, the horse he was riding in a maiden race at Saratoga, fell past the wire and suffered a catastrophic injury to her left foreleg. Lezcano underwent surgery to have a plate and screws put into his collarbone.
At the time of his injury, Lezcano was tied for 12th in the Saratoga standings with nine wins from 120 mounts.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Crazy Mason, runner-up to Patriot Spirit in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Vosburgh Stakes, will be pointed to the Grade 2 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Dec. 6, trainer Gregg Sacco said.
Crazy Mason, perhaps compromised by a modest pace in the Vosburgh, came rallying to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind Patriot Spirit and a half-length in front of race favorite Scotland. There was a timing malfunction, so the half-mile fraction wasn’t originally posted but the Equibase chart now lists the half-mile time at 45.21 seconds after using video technology to re-time the race.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Danny Gargan has a contender in the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies in Iron Orchard, a New York-bred who has won both of her starts impressively. She beat statebreds by 5 1/2 lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs on debut and then came back to win the six-furlong Seeking the Ante Stakes by 6 3/4 lengths a month later.
“She’s fast. She’s really fast. Obviously, a mile is going to be a question,” Gargan said.
