MN Lawmakers Announce Legislation To Legalize Sports Gambling

SAINT PAUL, MN — Sports betting is currently illegal in Minnesota. That means if you want to bet the "over" in the next Vikings-Packers game, you have to do it in Nevada or one of the other seven states where it's allowed.

But that could change this session, if lawmakers can agree on a framework around this specific and complex type of wagering.

State representatives Pat Garofalo and Nick Zerwas announced plans Friday to introduce a bill — titled the "Safe and Regulated Sports Gambling Act of 2019" — that aims to give Minnesotans access to safe, legal, and transparent sports gambling operations in the state. The two Republicans expect to introduce the legislation within a week.

"The Minnesota consumer has spoken," Garofalo told Patch in an interview back in December, noting the popularity of sports gambling among residents.

"And whether we legalize it or not," people will be doing more of it, he says. "If it’s not legal, then people will just send money to Caribbean sports books."

Their proposal comes after the United State Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, allowing states to legalize and regulate sports betting. Zerwas and Garofalo say a bill is needed to protect consumers and defund criminal enterprises associated with illegal sports gambling.

Several state legislators in the nation have moved fast to take advantage of tax revenues generated by the multi-billion dollar industry. There are currently eight states where "full-scale" sports betting is legal, according to ESPN. Two more states — New York and Arkansas, have recently passed bills legalizing it.

Gambling enthusiasts in the Land of 10,000 Lakes hope their state is next.

Private businesses — including some in the Midwest — are betting big on more legalization legislation to be passed soon. Last month, sports book operator William Hill announced a partnership with Iowa's Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. The partnership makes William Hill the casino’s official sports book operator if sports betting is legalized in Iowa.

In August, the Minneapolis-based restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings announced it was considering adding gambling to its locations where possible.

"As the largest sports bar in America, we believe Buffalo Wild Wings is uniquely positioned to leverage sports gaming to enhance the restaurant experience for our guests," a company spokesperson told Patch.

"We are actively exploring opportunities, including potential partners, as we evaluate the next steps for our brand."

Garofalo, who represents Farmington, is no stranger to sports gambling personally. While in Las Vegas last fall, he bet the Wisconsin Badgers to cover the second-half point spread against the Minnesota Gophers.

Unlucky for him, the Gophers ended up beating their rivals in football for the first time in 15 years.

On May 14, the day the Supreme Court struck down the ban on sports betting, Garofalo told KFAN's Paul Allen that "today is the greatest day ever."

According to Garofalo and Zerwas, the Safe and Regulated Sports Gambling Act of 2019 will include:

• The lowest tax rate structure in the nation.
• Maintaining Minnesota tradition and practice by allowing gambling only at established tribal casinos.
• Keeping existing Indian gaming compacts and allowing tribal involvement in new sports gambling compacts to be voluntary, ensuring that tribal involvement will be exclusively dictated by the individual tribes.

In an attempt to appease Minnesota's current casinos, no mobile gambling would be allowed in the bill. Garofalo has said nothing can move forward without the support of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.

In a news release Friday, Garofalo stressed his desire to work with stakeholders to ensure that the "best legislation" moves forward and is eventually enacted into law.

"Legalized sports gambling is not something that lawmakers should unilaterally enact," he said in a statement.

"I am committed to working with stakeholders to build consensus on a deal that works for everyone. Simply put, this cannot get done without everyone on board."

Also among those who will wish to be included in any discussion are advocate groups working for people susceptible to gambling problems and addiction.

Cathie Perrault, the executive director for the Northstar Problem Gambling Alliance, says any legislation that allows more legal gambling in Minnesota should include consumer protections, such as age verifications, as well as additional funding for the state's problem gambling treatment program.

"We will advocate for these inclusions when any bill appears," she told Patch in an email in August.

Perrault says the potential impact of the Supreme Court's 2018 sports betting decision on problem gamblers is "hard to gauge."

"If Minnesota passes a law that allows sports betting will it attract new gamblers into the legal gaming area, or will existing gamblers just add sports betting into what they already do?" she said. "We really have no way of knowing."

"We hope that the citizens of Minnesota engage with their legislators as discussion of expanded sports gambling begin."

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images