South Dakota is usually known for its natural beauty, historic destinations, and for the large motorcycle rally that takes place every year in Sturgis.

However, South Dakota casinos must also be acknowledged as a source that attracts the attention of many tourists each year. Additionally, South Dakota is home to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest, and the Crazy Horse Memorial.

South Dakota has six Indian Reservations including the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and the Crow Creek Indian Reservation and the third largest population of Native Americans in the country, making it an ideal destination for people who wish to learn more about Native American culture.

The capital city, Pierre, was founded as a fur trading post in 1817. The historic Lewis and Clark Trail also runs through the state. These, however, are not the only tourist destinations that this state has to offer. South Dakota is home to a number of casinos of all different sizes dispersed throughout the state both on Indian reservations and off.

Several South Dakota cities offer gaming to both residents and tourists. South Dakota Casinos and gambling are offered in Aberdeen, Deadwood, Eagle Butte, Flandreau, Fort Thompson, Huron, Lower Brule, McLaughlin, Mobridge, Pickstown, Pine Ridge, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Sisseton, Spearfish, Valentine, and Watertown. Most of these towns have just one or two small South Dakota casinos.

The South Dakota town with the most casinos is Deadwood, which features 20 South Dakota casinos including the Silverado and the Tin Lizzie. Casinos in Deadwood range in size from one-room operations with a handful of slot machines featuring live music, restaurants and hotel rooms, as well as the full range of gambling activities. Therefore, Deadwood is considered to be the major destination for people looking to gamble in South Dakota Casinos.

Indian reservations are also a major destination for people looking for casinos in South Dakota. Like many of the small gambling towns in South Dakota, they generally only have one or two casinos in a given town. However, those casinos are usually large with lots of slot machines and table games as well as restaurants and hotel rooms.

And many Indian reservation casinos are open 24 hours, including Prairie Wind Casino in Pine Ridge on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Grand River Casino and Resort in Mobridge on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.

The exodus of qualified college students in South Dakota has reached such proportion that it set up a special program, the Dakota Corp., to address many of its most critical needs, such as educational and medical occupations. This doesn’t mean it covers everything, though. As it happens, the state and private organizations have also stepped in to help. For starters, all qualified students should look at the state’s version of the Robert C. Byrd Honors Program. To qualify for this national scholarship fund, high school students should have a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and have scored at least a 30 on their ACT. They must also be planning to attend an academic university. If qualified, the student will receive a renewable scholarship of $1,500 per year to any school in the U.S.

There are also a few organizations that may not be national, but do cover as much as a half-dozen or so of the greater Northwestern states, including South Dakota. For starters, there is the Drug & Alcohol Abuse Prevention Essay Contest. To qualify, a secondary school student needs to have a 2.5 GPA. He/she also must complete an essay on drug abuse. It will be published in a major anti-drug magazine, to which the recipient gets $500. Another such organization is the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers. Unlike many such private organizations, it doesn’t require membership. Applicants should only live in what was considered the old Minnesota Territories (both Dakotas are) in 12th grade and provide proof of acceptance to a college. It also requires an essay and awards $500.

An interesting program is the Marlin R. Scarborough Memorial Scholarship. Each year, all the colleges in South Dakota elect their top sophomores and enter them into the competition. Prerequisites include the student does plan to be a junior and carries a 3.5 grade point average. From there, the Board of Regents will award the qualified student $1,000. The state’s Better Business Bureau has also stepped into the fray. It created the Scott Mecham BBB Student of Integrity Awards and also covers the states of Nebraska and parts of Iowa. Each year, six students are awarded $2,000 each for representing the values of the late Mecham. They must be high school juniors. Grades and ethnicity are not considered.