City Directory — South Dakota
Casinos Near Flandreau, South Dakota
1 verified casino near Flandreau. Browse the directory, check addresses, and compare players club options before you visit.
1 verified casino near Flandreau. Browse the directory, check addresses, and compare players club options before you visit.
1 verified casino location within driving distance of Flandreau.
New visitors can join the Royal River players club to earn points on slots and table games, redeemable for free play, hotel stays, and dining comps. Sign up at the players club desk before your first session — points are not retroactive.
Royal River Casino & Hotel is a mid-scale tribal casino operated by the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, located at 607 S Veterans Street in Flandreau, eastern South Dakota. The gaming floor holds more than 400 slot and video poker machines across multiple denominations, with table games including blackjack and three-card poker, plus a scheduled bingo hall. An attached hotel provides overnight accommodations, and two on-site dining outlets serve casino guests. The property is the only full-scale tribal casino in eastern South Dakota, drawing heavily from the Sioux Falls metropolitan area approximately 35 miles south via I-29 and SD-13.
Flandreau is a small city of approximately 2,400 residents in Moody County, eastern South Dakota, situated on the Big Sioux River along SD-13. It serves as the governmental seat of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, one of the sovereign tribal nations of South Dakota with a reservation established in 1869. Flandreau is best known in the regional gaming landscape as the location of Royal River Casino & Hotel, the only full-scale tribal casino in eastern South Dakota and the closest true casino to the Sioux Falls metropolitan area.
Royal River Casino is owned by the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, a federally recognized sovereign nation. Gaming operations are authorized under a compact with the State of South Dakota and regulated by the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Gaming Commission alongside the National Indian Gaming Commission. Casino revenues fund tribal government operations, including health services, education, elder care programs, and infrastructure on the reservation.
The Santee Sioux are the easternmost band of the Dakota (Sioux) nation. Their Flandreau community was established in 1869 when a group of Santee Sioux from the Nebraska reservation relocated to the Big Sioux River valley to farm independently. The tribe won federal recognition in 1936 under the Indian Reorganization Act. Today the reservation covers lands in and around Flandreau.
The legal gambling age at Royal River Casino is 21 for all gaming activities.
The drive from downtown Sioux Falls to Royal River Casino takes approximately 40 minutes under normal conditions. Take I-29 north to exit 114 (SD-13 / Flandreau), then head east on SD-13 approximately 12 miles into Flandreau. The casino is well signed from SD-13. Parking is free and plentiful. The casino is open daily; hours for specific amenities vary.
For travelers on I-29 between Sioux Falls and the Twin Cities, Flandreau is a convenient half-hour detour. The casino is also accessible from Brookings (about 30 miles northwest via SD-14 and SD-13) and from Madison (about 35 miles southwest via SD-34).
Flandreau and Royal River Casino serve as the eastern anchor of South Dakota’s tribal gaming network. The remainder of South Dakota’s tribal casinos are spread across the western two-thirds of the state, on Sioux reservations along the Missouri River corridor and in the southwestern plains near Pine Ridge and Rosebud. For residents and visitors in the Sioux Falls area, Royal River is effectively the only tribal casino within practical day-trip range.
The Deadwood commercial casinos are more than 300 miles west — a five-hour drive from Sioux Falls — and are better suited for a multi-day trip than a day outing from the eastern part of the state. For the casual casino visitor based in Sioux Falls, Flandreau and Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa (13 miles south of Sioux Falls across the state line) are the two most practical options.
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Most casino properties near Flandreau offer a free loyalty club. Sign up at the players club desk before you play — points are not retroactive. Benefits typically include free-play credits, dining discounts, and hotel rates at casino resort properties.
The minimum gambling age in South Dakota is 21 at most properties. Set a budget before you arrive and stick to it. If you experience problems with gambling, call 1-800-270-7117 — free, confidential, 24/7.