Minnesota: Legal sports betting bill passes in Ways and Means Committee
The proposal now moves to the House.
Minnesota’s House Ways and Means Committee has approved a bill that would legalize sports betting statewide. Under the terms of the proposal, some gambling devices at horseracing tracks would be prohibited.
With close to a week to go in the legislative session, the House will now consider whether to legalize sports betting.
Representative Zack Stephenson has drafted a bill that would allow for legalized betting on sports fantasy games, as well as regulator sports wagering. The bill sets aside tax dollars gained from sports wagering that would fund compulsive gambling education and treatment programs.
A deal is also on the table that would increase sports betting taxes from 10% to 20%.
Stephenson shared his thoughts on the potential benefits a legal market could have to players around the state and noted that a regulated market could deter black market betting.
He commented, “It is unlawful to engage in sports betting in Minnesota today, and it happens every single day in extreme amounts.
“We will be transitioning people from the black market into a legitimate marketplace.”
Legislators will have until May 20 to decide the fate of statewide sports betting.
More than 35 states have established legal and regulated sports betting markets since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in May 2018, also known as the Bradley Act.
This is not the first time that regulated sports betting has been a topic of discussion among state lawmakers. Minnesota has considered opening its commercial market in recent years. A push to legalize sports betting gained some traction earlier this session but fizzled out until now.
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