MINNEAPOLIS — Many sports fans in Minnesota have been clamoring for legalized sports betting for years, but it has never been passed.

However, there’s another bill in the Minnesota Legislature that would allow people to bet on games on their phones. 

State Sen. Matt Klein said the sports betting bill has bipartisan support, but there are also opponents in both parties. 

“It is one of those bills, almost like Sunday sales, where you have to form a coalition in a bipartisan way, and you have to be able to move it through committee in a bipartisan way,” Klein said.

The bill could get more traction this time around due to the tight balance of power in the Minnesota Legislature.  

Opponents of the bill say legalized sports betting can be addicting for some people and create health problems. 

“I fully respect the concerns from my own caucus on this,” Klein said. “They are legitimate public health concerns.”  

But Klein also said passing the bill would nullify illegal sports gambling in Minnesota, and a regulated industry would be better than the status quo.

“Is it better that we currently have an illicit, thriving market where there are no safeguards whatsoever about problem use or underage use, or is it better that we legalize it and regulate it and put in barriers to problem gambling and fund some treatment services for gambling,” Klein asked of opponents.

The coalition across party lines will be necessary once again if lawmakers want to have better luck this year to get it over the finish line, but a partisan power struggle is already threatening the work of the legislature before session even begins.