Third bill presented to legalize sports betting in Minnesota

A fresh attempt has been made to legalize sports betting in Minnesota, with a revised bill filed on Monday (Feb. 3). 

Once again, Senator Jeremy Miller is at the forefront with his Minnesota Sports Betting Act 3.0, joined by Senator Matt Klein who sponsored Senate Bill 757, while Senator John Marty and co-sponsor David Dibble introduced Senate Bill 978, also on Monday. 

Miller’s third attempt to legislate for legalized sportsbooks includes tight arrangements for gambling advertising, with further strict guidelines on available markets and deposit methods. 

The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans will stake around $23 billion on this year’s Super Bowl, but not one dollar will be wagered legally in The North Star State.

“I really do believe this is the year a sports betting bill could pass the Minnesota legislature,” Sen. Miller told CBS. 

He is striving for Minnesota to join the 38 states and the District of Columbia that have already given the green light for legalized, regulated sports betting, but there is still significant opposition to overcome.

The Sports Betting Act stipulates that in-game betting would be prohibited, and players would not be able to use credit cards “or other methods by which payment can be made on credit, such as electronic wallets.”

In regards to the restrictions on advertising, Marty and Dibble’s SB 978 would outlaw advertising on public property with further controls on the type of language and phrases on the ads.

Crucially, SB 978 would allow Minnesota’s 11 Native American tribes to hold sports gambling licenses, following the exclusive gaming rights agreement in 1991 between the state and the tribes. 

This would be a maximum of 11 online sports betting operator licenses to be issued to entities wholly owned and controlled by the respective tribes, with each license valid for 20 years. 

To establish the sportsbooks, the approved operators would be able to partner with one platform provider each, with those licenses valid for a three-year period. 

Sen. Miller predicts his attempted legislation would deliver $80 million in tax revenue to the state purse, with 50% of that total being used to stimulate charitable gambling such as pull tabs. 

25% would be earmarked for large event procurement in the state, with the other quarter sent to support the horseracing industry.

Image credit: Via Midjourney

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