Howdy fellow travelers! As you may have gathered from my recent posts, I’m on a westward journey and making lots of awesome stops along the way. Just as I was entering the wild west of South Dakota, I was presented with a strange and unexplainable phenomenon.

Casinos in gas stations.

I, for one, certainly can’t judge drunkards or gamblers in the least. However, I must say that I’m surprised by the number of sideline casinos in this great state. And they’re not just in gas stations! They’re in liquor stores, bars, grocery stores, restaurants, and god knows where else!

You might not know much about me since I’m sorta new to The Gnome Abode. But I am a bit of an amateur legal expert. I must admit, I conducted a bit of research on my 3G in the gas station bathroom.

My source of expertise is KnowYourCasino….sounds reputable, right? According to my sources, it’s legal for random establishments to have up to 10 video gambling machines without a license. The machines take cash, but don’t give it back to you. Instead you get some stinkin’ receipt and have to take it to the Fatty McGoo cashier and make small talk to collect your winnings.

Another fun fact: “South Dakota’s  casinos have very liberal rules about allowing minors into casinos and virtually all of the casinos will allow children to enter with their parents until about 8 p.m. Additionally, South Dakota is the only jursidiction that will allow children to stand next to their parents while they are gambling.”

Welcome, gnome children!

Happy trails!
Rubber the Gnome