As a sports betting proposal continues moving through the North Dakota legislature, it’s looking more and more like statewide digital sports wagering won’t arrive until late 2025 — at the very earliest. That is, if an amended version of HB 1234 moves forward and voters legalize sports betting on the 2022 ballot.

To recap, the North Dakota House in late February approved a pair of sports betting bills — one that would send the issue to the voters, and a second (HB 1234) that lays out framework. Earlier in the month, the Senate shot down SB 2314, which would have given the state’s tribes exclusivity to mobile wagering.

And on Monday, when bill sponsor Rep. James Kasper introduced HB 1234 to the Senate Committee on Finance and Taxation, he pointed out some key changes he’d like to see, including giving local businesses with retail wagering (via kiosk) a 24-month head start on digital platforms, prohibiting the use of credit cards to fund mobile accounts, and banning betting on North Dakota college teams.