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Politics and Government News
Tim Pugmire
St. Paul

Bill would put tribes in charge of legal sports betting

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings receiver K.J. Osborn catches the ball in front of Detroit Lions defender Will Harris for a touchdown during the third quarter at Ford Field on Dec. 5, 2021 in Detroit. A new bill at the Capitol would legalize gambling on professional sports.
Rey Del Rio | Getty Images 2021

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A bipartisan group of Minnesota legislators announced a plan Monday to legalize sports betting in the state.

Reps. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, and Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, are leading the effort in the Minnesota House to replace the illicit gambling already taking place with a legal, regulated framework.

Under the 28-page bill, sports betting would take place at Native American casinos and online through mobile applications operated by the tribes.

“Minnesotans would be able to visit sports betting lounges and casinos all across Minnesota, and they’ll also be able to wager on sports from their own mobile phones,” Stephenson said.

An earlier version of the House proposal included Minnesota’s two horse racing tracks, but those entities are no longer included.

“The tribes are really the subject matter experts,” Stephenson said.

The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association issued its most supportive statement yet on the sports betting push. The 10 member tribal nations said they “support state efforts to authorize sports wagering at tribal gaming properties and through online/mobile platforms and believe tribes are best positioned to offer this new market to the state’s consumers.”

Stephenson is chair of the House Commerce Committee and has a hearing on the bill scheduled for Tuesday. He said it will have many committee stops along the way.

The bill would devote 40 percent of sports betting revenue to problem gambling. Another 40 percent would go to funding youth sports.

“We want to support regulated, safe sports gambling in Minnesota,” Garofalo said.

Sports betting has been expanding since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban in 2018. All of Minnesota’s neighboring states have legalized sports betting.

It’s still not clear how much money would be generated in Minnesota through legalized sports betting. There has not yet been a formal revenue estimate. Stephenson downplayed the potential money.

“This is not going to be a massive amount of money. It will be significant, but not a budget-forecast changing event,” Stephenson said.