Ready To Cash In Their Chips: Minnesota Lawmakers Think They Have Legal Sports Betting Solution

(KNSI) – Legislators in St. Paul think they may have finally put together the right parlay ticket to get legalized sports betting in Minnesota.

Sponsor Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, expects a narrow vote on the issue this session, which means he has been working hard to keep any potential defectors in the fold. Stephenson has been working hard to find a solution to the electronic pull tab question. Last year, the open-all feature was disabled at bars and restaurants, which could reduce the number of games users play.

Allied Charities of Minnesota has been in a fight with state tribes, who believe the new games are competition to slot machines found only at casinos. The new deal would keep the 2023 law in effect, but it would raise taxes on sports betting to subsidize any losses faced by charitable gambling.

Stephenson’s gamble is that by resolving long-simmering standoffs on issues only tangentially related to betting, the coalition needed to pass the big prize will not fracture. There is bipartisan backing. The sponsor in the state Senate is a Republican from the Winona area.

Miller initially sought to restore some of the pull tab functions that were disabled last year. He discussed the issue with KNSI Host Dan Ochsner in January.

Not every issue has been resolved. As it stands now, in-game betting would be banned. Gambling companies are lobbying to open up that option. The practice is legal in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Minnesota would face steep odds in establishing a foothold in the industry when it is years behind neighboring states and operating with fewer options for users.

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