Minnesota’s Sports Betting Quagmire

Minnesota is considered one of the best candidates to legalize sports betting in 2025. Today's Straight to the Point feature column will evaluate if that's fact or fiction.

Despite numerous bites at the apple, Minnesota has been unable to legalize sports betting. The Land of 10,000 Lakes has become the new “this is the year” state, but STTP continues to lean negative on its chances in 2025.

Still, supporters are optimistic.

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Minnesota State Sen. Jeremy Miller said sports betting almost reached its goal last year and is making the case for 2025 as he tries to rally support.

Minnesota State Sen. Matt Klein is another sports betting proponent who is also making the case, telling the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

“A lot of Minnesotans are already betting on sports on their telephones, on their mobile devices, and they’re doing it illegally and through offshore platforms. What this would do is bring that activity into the legal sphere. It would have protections around problem gambling and underage gambling. If you legalize it and bring it in-house, then we’re able to make it safer and trustworthy for Minnesotans.”

Stakeholder Divides

Supporters must be convincing, as the structural hurdles from 2024 remain, and new potential roadblocks could emerge in 2025.

Tribal casinos want complete control, while the state’s two commercial racetracks wish to be included (but disagree on how).

In the background, there is a fight over HHR at racetracks and the legality of certain games at tribal casinos.

As I wrote in June:

“Not only are the two sides at odds over sports betting, but the Racing Commission’s authorization of historical horse racing (HHR) machines earlier this year ignited the proverbial powder keg. It led to legislation prohibiting the machines or other new forms of gambling without legislative authorization, which led to a lawsuit from the tracks claiming tribes were offering unauthorized games.”

Bottom line: Minnesota’s existing stakeholders are not on the same page.

Politics Is Messy

And then there are political roadblocks.

The makeup of the Minnesota legislature has changed following the 2024 elections. That means new lawmakers with different legislative priorities, new committee chairs, and a shifting power balance between Democrats and Republicans.

Minnesota has a Democrat governor, an evenly split Senate (33-33), and Republicans hold a two-seat majority in the House. Neither party will want to give the other side a “win,” which makes every vote essential and increases the political clout of outside forces like RG-PG advocates, religious groups, and the anti-gambling crowd. Minnesota sports betting could come down to a handful of undecided lawmakers.

As if there wasn’t enough existing tension, the racetracks heavily criticized Gov. Waltz's 2024 Minnesota Racing Commission appointments, Melanie Benjamin of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Johnny Johnson of the Prairie Island Indian Community. The racetracks noted that the two appointees applied a day before they were selected.

“We do not believe it is appropriate for competitors of the racetracks to serve in the role of our regulators, and it would be difficult to find a precedent for the recent appointments of long-time leaders of tribal nations that own two of the state’s largest casino operations as members of the Minnesota Racing Commission,” Canterbury Park CEO Randy Sampson said in a written statement.

Close Only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

The much-ballyhooed compromise from last year, which some claim ‘simply ran out of time,’ is supposed to be seen as a breakthrough and the framework for efforts in 2025.

I just don’t buy it. As I said earlier this week (quoting Quentin Tarantino from Reservoir Dogs), “Tell that f***ing bulls**t to the tourists.”