Sponsor urges delay on bill to abolish Gaming Commission amid negotiations; charities urge keeping independent commission

The committee heard Senate Bill 2224, which would abolish the North Dakota Gaming Commission and give the Attorney General authority to administer and regulate charitable gaming. Sponsor Senator Yana Mirdel told the committee she planned to be neutral and urged legislators not to take action immediately because parallel House legislation and interbranch discussions were ongoing.

Tara Felice of the Mandan Baseball Club said the current structure concentrates regulatory authority in the Attorney General’s office and leaves charities without “a forum for meaningful engagement.” Felice said the Gaming Commission model in House Bill 1525 (passed in the House) would provide “clear, consistent guidance and a forum for meaningful engagement” and that abolishing the commission would reduce transparency and weaken public trust.

Written testimony in support of preserving a commission was filed electronically; no large, organized opposition to the commission abolition appeared in person. The sponsor told the committee the commission now has a full complement of members and that stakeholders are discussing an amended approach that avoids wholesale code changes and instead improves the commission’s functionality.

Ending: After charity witnesses described cases where they lost gaming sites and had limited recourse under the Attorney General’s regulatory model, the sponsor again urged delay while the committee and stakeholders reconcile the competing House and Senate approaches to charitable gaming oversight.