The maximum bet limit for video lottery remains unchanged after the South Dakota House of Representatives defeated House Bill 1246. The bill attempted to raise the video lottery bet limit from the current two dollars to five dollars.
Republican State Representative Dick Werner is a sponsor of House Bill 1246. He says video lottery has not been changed in the state since its creation, so an improvement is necessary.
"Video Lottery is a mature industry in our state. Few changes have been made to the program since it was started. It is a highly regulated industry in which good rules have been established and enforced in the market place," Werner says.
Werner's goal to increase the maximum limit of awards from $1000 to $2500 dollars failed. Most of the opposition to the bill comes from lawmakers who say video lottery destroys the lives of South Dakotans. Republican State Representative Scott Ecklund spoke against the bill.
"I’ve had wives kick their husbands out and the husbands living in homeless shelters because of the addiction that happened from video lottery. I’ve had divorces in my practice, due to the state legalizing this problem," Ecklund says.
This bill was defeated by a vote of 40 to 28.
