Minnesota Sports Betting Amendment Would Ban Live Betting

• A Minnesota sports betting bill was amended in committee to prohibit live betting.
• Senator Matt Klein’s bill MN SF 1949 carried over from the 2023 session but took on major changes, most notably the banning of in-game wagering.
• Resistance from the Minnesota horse racing industry and the live betting amendment make it unlikely for the bill to pass in 2024.

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota’s legal sports betting hopes rage on in Senate and House committees, but a key amendment hurts their chances for success in 2024. A Minnesota Senate committee agreed on Wednesday to amend Matt Klein’s sports betting bill to prohibit in-game sports betting.

The major change to Klein’s legal sports betting bill MN SF 1949, was proposed by Sen. Jordan Rasmusson and supported by Klein, as well as the Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Committee. If MN SF 1949 passes, Minnesota would become the first state in the country with a prohibition on live betting.

#Minnesota presented SB 1949 which would prohibit live betting in the state. If it passed, Minnesota would be the only state in the regulated betting industry to not offer live odds.#MinnesotaSportsBetting #sportsbettingpicks #Timberwolves #Vikings #Skol #MinnesotaTimberwolves pic.twitter.com/EDtVmJ0aFD

— Legal Sports Betting (@legalsportsbet) March 7, 2024

Other amendments to the bill include a requirement for Minnesota sports betting to set a betting limit for daily wagering deposits or losses for a single day. Players can opt out of this feature, but other components of the Minnesota sports betting bill caught the attention of Minnesota tribes and racetracks.

Minnesota Tribes, Horse Racing Tracks Oppose Changes

The bill attempts to appeal towards Minnesota horse racing tracks with a 30% revenue share, since that was the major reason why legalization efforts died in 2023. However, this funding is capped at $20 million, which made the state racetracks decide they can’t support the bill in its current form.

The Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, Andy Platto, said they’re in favor of advancing Klein’s bill in the Senate but aren’t happy with the live in-game sports betting prohibition. Jeremy Kudon, President of the Sports Betting Alliance, noted in his committee testimony that live betting makes up over 50% of all bets in the legal sports betting market.

News tags: Andy Platto | Matt Klein | Minnesota | Minnesota Indian Gaming Association | MN SF 1949