The South Dakota Gaming Fee (SDGC), which oversees all gaming in Deadwood, the one place the place industrial on line casino playing is permitted within the state, is widening its probe into Mustang Sally’s.
Mustang Sally’s on Essential Road in Deadwood. The historic South Dakota Gold Rush city is house to quite a few gaming parlors. (Picture: Historic Deadwood)
The state gaming regulator in October revoked the gaming license for Mustang Sally’s after the tavern’s proprietor — Toby Keehn — admitted to permitting unlawful proxy bets to be facilitated on his and different staff’ behalf. Jennifer Haefs, a Mustang Sally’s worker, advised the fee that she routinely positioned sports activities bets for others whereas on the job.
The SDGC believes the rogue betting prolonged additional at Mustang Sally’s. Throughout its fee assembly tomorrow, the state will evaluation proof relating to allegations that one other former Mustang Sally’s employee positioned proxy sports activities bets for underage people.
Whereas working at Mustang Sally’s through the month of August 2022, Mathew Steinlicht positioned a number of proxy bets for a number of underage people,” the South Dakota Gaming Fee wrote in its grievance in opposition to Steinlicht.
Proxy betting is the act of betting on another person’s behalf. Whereas authorized in some components of the world, proxy betting is prohibited in Deadwood. A violation of the state’s proxy betting regulation is a Class 6 felony punishable by as much as two years in jail and $4,000 in fines.
South Dakota has 9 courses of felony offenses. Class A, B, and C felonies carry doable life sentences. The remaining six felony courses are numbered 1 to six, with Class 6 being the least critical.
Keehn averted jail time. However together with forfeiting his gaming license, he was hit with a $25,000 high-quality.
State Particulars Claims
Mustang Sally’s is not a licensed Deadwood on line casino after dropping its gaming privileges. Although Keehn pleaded with the state for forgiveness, the proprietor saying “it undoubtedly would by no means occur once more,” the SDGC revoked the on line casino’s working allow.
Mustang Sally’s, like many Deadwood casinos, solely housed a small smattering of slot machines. The Essential Road property counted 30 slot machines and two self-service sports activities betting kiosks when its license was rescinded.
Mustang Sally’s has since been working as a sports activities bar with easy eats and drinks like burgers and wings, beers, and milkshakes. If Keehn hopes to regain gaming privileges in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, tomorrow’s SDGC listening to doubtless received’t assist his odds.
The grievance in opposition to Steinlicht was dropped at the SDGC’s consideration by Deadwood resident Brandon Snyder, who claims to have witnessed Steinlicht’s unlawful actions. Steinlicht has already relinquished his particular person gaming license that had allowed him to work in a Deadwood on line casino. Steinlicht is in any other case invoking his Fifth Modification proper to stay silent.
Underage Violations
The proxy betting element of Steinlicht’s alleged rogue sports activities betting facilitation is the extra extreme regulatory violation within the eyes of Deadwood gaming regulators. However his aiding of underage people to gamble can be a felony act.
The SDGC says any licensee that allows somebody underneath the age of 21 to gamble in a licensed on line casino within the state commits a Class I misdemeanor.
A on line casino that enables underage entry dangers dropping its gaming license. However since Mustang Sally’s has already misplaced its license, the state is predicted to think about a private penalty in opposition to Steinlicht.
A Class 1 misdemeanor cost comes with a doable penalty of as much as a 12 months in jail and a $2,000 high-quality. That’s along with the Class 6 felony cost he’s going through for proxy betting.
