Panel gives ground on gambling (Aberdeen American News)

PIERRE – Officials from the state Gaming Commission retreated from a showdown and thus gained a victory on Monday in their effort to close a loophole in South Dakota’s laws regulating Deadwood gambling.

The state Senate voted 28-0 to approve the commission’s legislation that will require background checks and licenses for gaming property owners in Deadwood.

Only a handful of properties currently are owned by someone who isn’t involved in the gambling operation on the site. Owners, operators and employees of gambling businesses already are required to be licensed.

To get the Senate’s support, however, commission officials had to offer a grandfather clause, so that the new requirement won’t apply to any person who owns real estate where licensed gaming was conducted prior to Jan. 1, 2010.

The commission’s compromise resulted from the refusal by Sen. Tom Nelson, R-Deadwood, to support the original version.

After the amendment was adopted on Monday by the Senate, Nelson said he can now give “my whole-hearted support” to the licensing requirement.

The legislation, HB1036, now must return to the House of Representatives for a decision whether to agree with the Senate amendment. The House passed the original version 69-0 on Jan. 20.

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PIERRE – Officials from the state Gaming Commission retreated from a showdown and thus gained a victory on Monday in their effort to close a loophole in South Dakota’s laws regulating Deadwood gambling.

The state Senate voted 28-0 to approve the commission’s legislation that will require background checks and licenses for gaming property owners in Deadwood.

Only a handful of properties currently are owned by someone who isn’t involved in the gambling operation on the site. Owners, operators and employees of gambling businesses already are required to be licensed.

To get the Senate’s support, however, commission officials had to offer a grandfather clause, so that the new requirement won’t apply to any person who owns real estate where licensed gaming was conducted prior to Jan. 1, 2010.

The commission’s compromise resulted from the refusal by Sen. Tom Nelson, R-Deadwood, to support the original version.

After the amendment was adopted on Monday by the Senate, Nelson said he can now give “my whole-hearted support” to the licensing requirement.

The legislation, HB1036, now must return to the House of Representatives for a decision whether to agree with the Senate amendment. The House passed the original version 69-0 on Jan. 20.

Comments submitted by readers do not represent the views of the Aberdeen News Co. its subsidiaries, partners or parent company and will not be held responsible for misuse of the commenting system.

READER COMMENTS

Post a comment  [ You must be registered and logged in to post a comment ]