Place Your Bet: Will Yankton Get a Casino?
There was a day (and it doesn't seem that long ago) that if you wanted to wager a few bucks (or a few bucks more) you had to hop a plane and head to Sin City.
Yahoo! Its Vegas bay! What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas (including your money!).
But things have changed. Back in 1989 I was living in Rapid City and that fall Deadwood lit up, there was a gun duel on Main Street one day at noon and just like that...the one armed bandits were back. Now, that one-arm is largely gone, but the machines (and tables) aren't.
These days the nearest casino for most of us is just a short drive away, maybe down the block, maybe down the highway.
And Yankton wants to be your next gaming destination.
Supporters of a proposed casino and entertainment complex in Yankton are bringing their hopes to Pierre.
As it turns out, you can't just wake up one day and decide to put a fun, big bright casino in your town. You need lawmakers to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot, in this case the November ballot. A measure introduced this week at the Capitol would ask voters to allow a nonprofit group one gaming license for our friends in southeastern South Dakota.
They say it would allow Yankton to compete with Iowa and Nebraska for tourists as well as conventions.
A coalition of tribes in the area aren't big on the idea. They say the project would threaten the livelihood of South Dakota tribes.
So I guess we can place our bet...will Yankton get a casino? Ultimately, if it makes the ballot, voters will decide.
The Associated Press Contributed To This Article
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