A new Minnesota sports betting bill has been introduced, which would prohibit bets on college sports and in-game action.
Senator John Marty proposed the bill alongside two colleagues. It would permit sports betting in Minnesota, but place several limits and caveats, as well as banning push notifications.
In May of last year, Minnesota ended its legislative session without a vote on any sports wagering proposal, though a bill was passed by several House committees.
Introduced by Rep. Zack Stephenson, the previous bill would have legalized in-person sports betting. This would have taken place at any of the casinos run by the state’s 11 Native American tribes.
The tribes would also have had the option to offer online gaming.
Discussing this new proposal, Sen. Marty said: “Every bill gets negotiated, but I think this spells out the type of safeguards we ought to have.”
Minnesota Sports Betting
Last month saw Rep. Stephenson’s heavily amended bill move through the House. But despite changes including daily fantasy sports, electronic pull-tabs and revamped tax structures, the bill has not made it through the Senate.
This is the latest of numerous attempts by Stephenson to introduce legal sports betting to Minnesota. For at least the last three years, he has been championing legal, statewide sports wagering.
In 2022, Stephenson got another bill through the House, before it too fell at the Senate level.
As Minnesota has no crossover deadline, lawmakers only have until the state adjourns on May 20 to pass any legislation. This is because bills do not carry over.
If no progress is made, Stephenson and his supporters will need to wait until 2025 before crafting new bills in order to legalize sports betting in Minnesota.
One of the biggest obstacles in the process has consistently been horse racing. The state’s race tracks have frequently opposed any legislation, claiming they would be harmed by changes to the law.