According to WalletHub, gambling has become a leading source of anguish and despair in my home state with a high suicide rate and few avenues for treatment. The state is tied for first in the number of casinos and machines and second in overall addiction to the poison.
It also has a high prevalence of gambling through lottery tickets, with the 10th highest lottery sales per resident age 18+. South Dakota has legalized betting on fantasy sports, regular sports and horse races, and it allows gambling machines to be put in stores. With so many different legal ways to gamble, it makes sense that many residents have a problem. The grip that gambling has on the Mount Rushmore State is evident in the fact that it has a high number of Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita. [Most Gambling-Addicted States (2024)]
The reasoning is hardly mysterious. It’s all about the money
video lootery, a too big to jail banking racket, a medical industry triopoly, prostitution, the Sturgis Rally, policing for profit, sex trafficking, hunting and subsidized grazing bring to the SDGOP destroying lives, depleting watersheds and smothering habitat under single-party rule.
Gamers visiting Deadwood in March dropped $127.2 million in machines, on tables, and sports betting for just over an eight percent increase compared to March 2023. Thus far this year, the collective handle in Deadwood is $358.3 million, up less than half a percent, compared to the same period in 2023. [Black Hills Pioneer]
When i was still playing Ricky Jacobsen, Chuck Baumann and Jeanette Fraser took their own lives after losing everything in
Deadwood's poker games. No doubt there have been others.
Kurtz’s argument highlights a distinct, often overlooked tradition of state-led economic intervention in South Dakota—a state commonly viewed as politically conservative. This history, characterized by Progressive Republican leadership in the early 20th century, involved direct state ownership and operation of various industries to protect agricultural interests and rural infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteKey Examples of South Dakota's Historical Public Enterprises:
State-Owned Cement Plant (1924–2001): Established under Republican Governor Peter Norbeck, this was the only state-owned cement company in the U.S. It was created to counteract high prices and supply issues for building materials, serving the state for nearly 80 years before being sold to a private firm.
State-Owned Rail System: In response to the collapse of private rail companies in the 1970s and 80s, Governor Bill Janklow championed the state's purchase of thousands of miles of track to ensure farmers could transport products. The state continues to maintain a role in preserving this infrastructure.
Historical Socialist Experiments: During the 1917–1921 era of "progressive" Republicanism, the state entered several industries to protect farmers from economic hardship, including:
State Hail Insurance: A publicly managed insurance program.
Coal Mining & Fuel: Ownership of a coal mine in North Dakota and state-owned gasoline pumps.
Agricultural Subsidies: The reliance on "socialized agriculture" refers to the massive influx of federal aid to support agricultural operations. Between 1995 and 2020, South Dakota farmers received $18.2 billion in federal subsidies [Search Result].
Modern Infrastructure Investment: The mention of "socialized internet" refers to state-level investments in broadband expansion, driven by modern Republican leadership as critical infrastructure for the economic survival of rural areas [Search Result].
South Dakota Historical Society Press
South Dakota Historical Society Press
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These initiatives demonstrate a pragmatic, rather than purely ideological, approach to government, often using state-owned enterprise to solve logistical and economic challenges that private markets failed to address.