The Minnesota Legislature’s late push to pass a sports betting bill failed to materialize late Sunday night. As a result, Minnesota-regulated sports betting will have to wait at least another year. Perhaps even longer. There was a glimmer of hope heading into the final weekend, only to see politics come into play.
“We’re going to come up just short on the sports betting bill this year,” Rep. Zack Stephenson wrote on social media Sunday night. “But in the last few days, we proved that we could find a deal that all the major stakeholders could live with. Tribes, tracks, charities… That’s meaningful progress that can be a foundation for the future.”
Trying to make all stakeholders happy was one of the biggest obstacles the legislature faced. The state’s 11 tribes would have exclusive rights to offer sports betting under Stephenson’s bill filed this year. The two horse racing tracks weren’t happy and Stephenson’s $625,000 offer to each track annually wasn’t well-received.
The tribes and the horse tracks also got into it with each other. After the Minnesota Racing Commission voted to allow Historical Horse Racing machines at the tracks over the tribes’ objections, Stephenson helped pass a bill to prohibit them.
In other Minnesota gambling news, there was a lawsuit against the tribes from Running Aces horse track against several tribal casinos thrown into the mix in the final week. There’s still some work to be done to appease everybody. That, along with the arrest of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, helped take attention away from Minnesota-regulated sports betting bills. There were also other bills that legislators placed more importance on getting passed before the end of the session.
No States Added Sports Betting in 2024
Minnesota was thought to be one of the states most likely to add sports betting in 2024. It now appears as though Minnesota residents will be waiting a while longer before using the best sports betting apps. Residents can travel to Iowa or Wisconsin to place wagers. Until Minnesota-regulated sports betting is legalized, that’s something state residents will do.
Stephenson is more optimistic after this legislative session than in previous ones. So maybe the framework is in place, although that’s small consolation to Minnesota sports bettors this year.
Minnesota wasn’t the only state that failed to get sports betting passed this year. Georgia and Mississippi both saw a push for sports betting, although neither was able to get done. Alabama was another state that tried, only to come up short.
Missouri was another state that tried to legalize sports betting and failed, but there is some hope in the state. The state’s professional sports teams helped kickstart a ballot initiative that should be appearing on the November ballot. That puts the matter directly in the hands of the voters and bypasses the legislature. The group leading the charge is called “Winning for Missouri Education.” They already have submitted enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot, but need the secretary of state to approve the signatures.
“We are grateful for the support from Missouri’s professional sports franchises, who have been crucial in creating the opportunity for Missourians to vote directly on this issue in November, as one of only 12 states without legalized sports betting, Missouri took a significant step forward today in ensuring that these revenues stay in Missouri to help our communities and classrooms.” said Winning for Missouri Education spokesman Jack Cardetti.
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