- A new bipartisan bill is pushing to bring legal mobile sports betting to Minnesota through its Native American tribes.
- The proposal comes with a range of consumer protections aimed at keeping betting activity in check.
- Support exists on both sides of the aisle, though the bill still has a number of hurdles to clear before it moves forward.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Fresh out of St. Paul, Minnesota’s legislature is once again throwing its weight behind sports betting legalization, with Senate File 4139 landing on the floor Wednesday.
A bipartisan coalition of senators, including Republicans Jeremy Miller, Eric Pratt, and Julia Coleman and DFL Sen. Nick Frentz, introduced the bill. Since then, it has been forwarded to the Senate’s Rules and Administration and Commerce and Consumer Protection committees.
According to the bill, up to eleven federally recognized Native American tribes in Minnesota could individually run a mobile sportsbook by collaborating with well-known platform companies to host their apps. Credit cards would not be accepted as a form of finance, and bettors would have to be at least 21 years old.
The horse racing industry, charitable gambling organizations, event hosting initiatives, and responsible gambling programs would all get a portion of the 22% tax on net wager revenue. It has taken a while to get to this point; Minnesota started advocating for legal sports betting in 2018, and the most recent version directly targets the stakeholder disputes that prevented earlier proposals from being passed.
What the Bill Would Mean for Bettors
SF 4139 offers a number of noteworthy consumer protections. In an effort to curb compulsive gambling, the bill would forbid Minnesota sportsbooks from providing users with push notifications. Additionally, proposition bets on collegiate athletes would be completely prohibited.
The state’s commissioner of public safety would have to carry out an investigation on current gambling practices and problem gambling rates throughout Minnesota prior to any betting starts.
One increasing concern driving the debate is the rise of prediction market apps, which are federally approved platforms that allow users to wager on athletic events without any state-level supervision. Legislators are under additional pressure to establish a state-controlled framework before the market continues to expand on its own because residents of Minnesota already have access to unregulated betting options because of their existence.
The bill’s future is uncertain despite its broad support and intricate details. The timing for sports betting is unknown because legislative leaders have stated that other matters, such as fraud investigations and public safety discussions, will take precedence this year.
