Let’s pass something and kick the can down the road with the rest of the stuff inside the can to be sorted out later…if the can gets that far.
That’s one way to encapsulate what Minnesota has done this year when it comes to legalization of sports betting. The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee moved SF 1949 to the Committee on Taxes on March 5.
Lawmakers approved the concept of retail and online sports betting under the control of the tribal nations in the state. What to do about horse racing tracks remains in the can as does the fate of charity gaming.
State Senator Zach Duckworth wanted the racetrack situation sorted out and included at this stage, as well as charitable gaming.
Lawmakers have come “closest we have ever been” to approving a gambling bill but it is not ready to go forward yet.
“I believe this is the committee to do the work, so I’m not necessarily in favor of moving it forward,” Duckworth told SportsHandle. “I do believe the tracks need to be given a fair shot and I think they need to have some certainty.”
That strategy failed in 2023 and it won’t likely succeed in 2024.
“I think it’s a poor way for the legislature to govern to just move bills along and promise changes in other committees.”
Sorry, Zach, but you were outnumbered. If the tracks are subsequently included, the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA) will probably walk.
Andy Platto, the executive director for MIGA, has taken issue with policy changes, without naming them.
Jeremy Kudon, of the Sports Betting Alliance, opposed an amendment to eliminate in-game betting, a popular wager.
“This amendment is nothing short of a gift” to the black market, Kudon said, per SportsHandle. He added that in-game wagering accounts for 50 percent of sports bets made in the U.S. market and that by eliminating them, tax revenue could be cut in half.
