English Only at the Poker Tables Rule Passes

Starting now, poker players at South Dakota’s Deadwood Casino will be required to speak only English at the tables during the play of a hand.

“The reason we can is because gaming is a suspect activity,” Mike Shaw, the attorney for the state Gaming Commission, said. “It is not subject to the same protection that other activities are.”

The rule is one of a package of changes for Deadwood card games that received final clearance Tuesday from the Legislature’s rules review committee.

Sen. Jim Bradford, D-Pine Ridge, said it would be unfair if players spoke another language at a table. 

“You could manipulate the game,” Bradford said.

“The reason we can is because gaming is a suspect activity,” Mike Shaw, the attorney for the state Gaming Commission, said. “It is not subject to the same protection that other activities are.”

The South Dakota changes are based on rules in Nevada and New Jersey that Eliason said have been on the books for a long time.

- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com