Lawmakers in Minnesota are still discussing a betting bill that focuses on online sports wagering and fantasy sports.
Minnesota House Committee Approve Betting Bill Amid Concerns
Concerns have grown around the bill as its outcome may not be deemed successful, but House Bill 2000 was approved in a 12-9 vote by the Minnesota House Taxes Committee.
The bill has been sponsored by Rep. Zack Stephenson, will now enter the Ways and Means Committee but may struggle to be passed into law – with several House members questioning its chances of success in the Senate.
Rep. Greg Davids, who is also supporting the bill, spoke to the committee members about the future of HB 2000 and giving people ‘false hope.’
He said: “One thing I’ve learned over the years is you don’t provide false hope. And I think that’s really what we’ve done here.”
Another key factor in the success of HB 2000 is acquiring bipartisan support, after Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell was arrested for alleged burglary.
Democrats usually had a one-vote majority in the Senate, but Sen. Nicole Mitchell has now lost her rights to owning committee and voting privileges following the arrest.
The bill is hoping to hand out 11 wagering licenses with state tribes and also make these new licenses valid for at least 20 years.
It will also come with a tax rate of 20% for online sports betting revenue, with the relevant operators being taxed by 10%.
Opening projections have revealed that $40 million is expected to be made through sports wagering tax cuts, which will go to Minnesota charities.
Executive Director of Allied Charities of Minnesota, Rachel Jenner, has opened up about the objective to bring taxes down and feed funds to the community.
“It’s been our goal to bring the taxes down to a level where our organizations have the funds available to contribute more to their communities than they pay in taxes.”
The bill will also hope to give $625,000 for horse racing tracks in the fiscal year 2026, as Minnesota horse racing tracks have become a vital sector in legal discussions.
American Legion Chair, Dr. Kristy Janigo, is the chair at a group who are in full support of the bill and feels the success can have a huge impact on the community.
“Our more than 50,000 members agree to prioritize advocating for tax cuts above all other things we want for our community because we think these will have the biggest impact.
“It’s difficult for me to fully describe how meaningful this is for us. This provides a historic amount of tax cuts.”