Mustang Sally’s, a South Dakota casino in the city of Deadwood, recently lost its gaming license due to the owner and a top employee placing and accepting illegal proxy bets on games and events within the sportsbook.
The practice of proxy betting involves placing wagers on someone else’s behalf, which has been useful, historically, for gamblers that have been unable to make it to a sportsbook in person. Despite the convenience of the practice, proxy betting is illegal in South Dakota and carries with it severe penalties.
Owner Toby Keehn and employee Jennifer Haefs are accused of accepting or placing upwards of 95 proxy bets at Mustang Sally’s, a venue that up until now offered slots and legal sports betting in South Dakota.
The two were caught on video feeds as well as through digital monetary transaction reports and are now facing a class 6 felony charge, punishable by up to two years in prison and a $4,000 fine.
In this instance, there was a $25,000 fine levied against Mustang Sally’s Sports Bar and Casino, as well as a revocation of the gaming license and the owner’s rights via a ruling by the South Dakota Commission on Gaming.
“I’m incredibly sorry for my bad judgment… [I] can’t undo it… It definitely would never happen again.”
Toby Keehn in front of the South Dakota Commission on Gaming
Owner Toby Keehn was apologetic in his appearance before the Commission, but Haefs chose not to testify.
For locals who frequented the casino that have been yearning for their casual betting fix that Mustang Sally’s provided, there is some good news. A legitimate and safe substitution is to turn to legal online betting sites featured in our list of sportsbook reviews.
While South Dakota is one of the states in which both online casino gambling and online sports betting lack legal, state-based websites, there are no SD laws that prohibit you from using licensed offshore bookmakers. Therefore, legal online gambling in South Dakota is still easily accessible.
After all, there is no need to have someone else place a bet for you when you can easily do it from the comfort of your home, or anywhere you desire via a laptop or smartphone. When you use a legal online gambling site, it’s a sure bet that you won’t be fined or even potentially jailed like the unfortunate casino employees who thought they were above the law.
The main benefit of using an online sportsbook is the number of sports available to bet on. The rapid updates on these sites also allow you to keep up to date on the most recent sporting events, no matter how esoteric.
Legal online sports betting using offshore sportsbooks remains the only legal option as of right now, but web-based domestic options could receive approval from local politicians as soon as the next legislative session.
Source – KELO News