Progress Is Slowly Being Made in Minnesota

Target Field Minnesota Wild
A general view of Target Field prior to the game against the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Harrison Barden/Getty Images/AFP

The positive sports betting news from Minnesota is trickling in slowly but surely. Read here to find out what is happening.

Different states around the country are increasingly inclined to legalize sports betting if they haven’t done so already.

Based on various factors, such as the agendas of individual politicians involved in this legal process, different points of concern and different motivations have arisen in the various states.

Looking at the process of legalizing sports betting is interesting because it creates insight into why we like to wager on sports. 

These are politicians who are evaluating the activity that we love engaging in from an outside perspective. It is interesting to understand how and what they think about this activity.

Passing the House 

Minnesota is one state in which progress towards legalization is being made. There seem to be enough politicians in that state who support the legalization of sports betting.

Most recently, the sports betting bill has passed the state’s house with a vote of 70-57.

It will head to the state Senate, although the Senate’s legislative deadline is on May 23, which probably entails that there is sadly not enough time for sports betting to be legalized in the state in 2022.

Discussing Sports Betting

This bill has not simply passed in its original form, however. Extensive discussions resulted in multiple alterations being made.

These alterations reflect the particular concerns over sports betting that Minnesota lawmakers have. One major concern is addiction.

Sports betting apps are not going to be allowed to send push notifications to their customers unless they are informing them of fraudulent activity.

Another Bill 

Right now, there is actually another bill in the Senate that would legalize sports betting. However, this one does not seem to be heading places. Most Republicans in the Senate are opposed to it right now.

The Tribes 

It is, however, the tribes that arguably have the most power when it comes to gambling.

It is crucial that they are backing the sports betting bill that just passed in the House because they can sustain or abolish legislative attempts.

Problematically, however, there might not be sufficient support in the Senate for the kind of bill that the tribes want to pass, which might be one that grants them exclusive control over sports betting.

It is hoped that the top sportsbooks like FanDuel and Caesars might be allowed to operate in the state. 

Despite this or any conundrums, the sports betting bill’s progress through the House creates promise for 2023.