PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — A powerful panel of state lawmakers is saying no to letting voters decide whether South Dakota should allow sports wagers statewide.

The House State Affairs Committee voted 10-3 on Friday to reject SJR 502. The proposal, if voters approved, would have required sports bets to flow through Deadwood casinos. Senators had voted 18-17 for it to be on the November election ballot.

Two years ago, South Dakota voters approved amending the state constitution to allow sports wagers in Deadwood. The Deadwood Gaming Association didn’t take a position this time on the proposed expansion.

The two sides offered opposite interpretations of that Friday.

The resolution’s prime sponsor, Senator Kyle Schoenfish, R-Scotland, said the association as a whole wasn’t against the proposal. “There was one main one (casino) that opposed it,” he said.

David Wiest, deputy secretary for the state Department of Revenue, led the opposing side. He suggested the association was silent because Deadwood’s tourism economy doesn’t want to lose visitors. “Why leave home anymore?” he asked.

Lobbyists representing big sports-betting businesses such as FanDuel and Draft Kings testified in favor. But Representative Tim Goodwin, R-Rapid City, said they should have to take out petitions and collect signatures to put the question on the ballot, rather than go through the Legislature.

Representative Kevin Jensen, R-Canton, said Deadwood’s gaming businesses had agreed last year to taking bets only on their properties. “Promises matter,” he said.