Senator Introduces New Minnesota Sports Betting Bill

Senator Jeremy Miller introduced a new Minnesota sports betting bill. It incorporated proposals from various stakeholders in the state. Also, he hopes the bill will succeed, unlike other bills that fell short in 2023.

In 2023, Senator Matt Klien and Representative Zach Stephenson submitted parallel measures on sports betting. After passing through a few committees, the House measure was eventually abandoned. The question of whether tribal casinos would be exclusive and exclude interests in horse racing hindered their acceptance. Operators of charitable gambling were also pushing for a tax cut clause.

The effort by Sen. Miller aims to deal with those specific problems. The new measure would allow Minnesota’s eleven tribal nations to get in-person and online sports betting licenses. According to PPH bookie experts, license holders could also open retail sports betting at professional sports stadiums and horse racing courses.

New Minnesota Sports Betting Bill

Additionally, the law would bring back a few possibilities for charity gaming. The sports betting tax would primarily benefit charity gaming organizations and the horse racing industry. According to political news forum sources, the Minnesota Racing Commission would receive fifteen percent of the collected taxes, and fifty percent would go toward charitable gaming tax relief payments. There would be monetary gains for many of the parties who were unhappy with last year’s measure.

According to bookie software reports, most Minnesotans should be pleased with the present effort, while some will undoubtedly have reservations. A survey found that 64% of Minnesotans support making sports betting legal. Therefore, the timing of Miller’s initiative is critical.

Rep. Pat Garafolo indicated earlier this month that he will not be running for reelection in 2024 despite his support for sports betting. Still, Garafolo has until January 7, 2025 in office. Thus, he may collaborate with Miller throughout the 2024 Minnesota legislative session.