Cross Breeds

When did horse/dog racing become legal in South Dakota?

I've trying to find information on this, but can't find the origin of when it started or the legal issues surrounding it. Also does anyone have information on when bingos and raffles started. These were the only forms of gambling in South Dakota before casinos were legal in 1989.

Public Comments

1. Here's a link to an article that you might find some information you can use. http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/top-stories/article_c9b0e9ea-14da-504f-91bb-c7f550bfab47.html Hope the link helps you.. :)
2. Greyhound racing in the western US most likely had its start with impromptu "coursing races," in which two dogs were matched against each other in chasing a live rabbit, the winner being the one who caught it first. Barbaric. Owen Patrick Smith, one of the "founding fathers" of modern Greyhound racing, was the Hot Springs, South Dakota director of the Chamber of Commerce, and in 1905 he was tabbed to put on a "coursing meet" in the town to attract tourists. He complied, but was repelled by the barbarity. Long story short, he sought a way of conducting coursing races with dogs that didn't involve the use of a live rabbit or other small animal, and over the next decade and a half, he worked both in partnership with other people and by himself to come up with a mechanical lure for the dogs to chase. Currently, there is no live dog racing in South Dakota. The South Dakota Horse Racing Association states that pari-mutuel racing got started in the 1940's and 1950's. Currently there are two horse racing tracks in South Dakota, Ft. Pierre at the Stanley County Fairgrounds, and in Aberdeen at the Brown County Fairgrounds. They conduct live racing on a very limited basis, only a few weekends out of the year in the spring. I can't find specific citations for when pari-mutuel racing was first legalized in South Dakota, but in general, enabling legislation for pari-mutuel wagering was passed in state legislatures around the country in the early to mid-thirties to try to get revenue. This was during the time of the Great Depression and just like now, governments were hurting badly for revenue. The racing conducted in South Dakota is on the order of county fair meets, which is probably the first kind of legalized racing that was conducted in the state. This is the website for the South Dakota Gaming Commission, which oversees the conduct of gambling operations within the state, with the exception of gaming conducted on Native American lands and under the auspices of Native American tribes. http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/reg/gaming/index.htm I would suggest you contact them and ask them for information about the history of legalized gaming in the state. Good luck!