Latest Effort to Legalize Sports Betting in Minnesota Officially Fails

Minnesota will need to wait for at least one more year before joining the ranks of states with legal sports betting markets.

Minnesota State Representative Zach Stephenson led a last-minute effort to pass sports betting last week. He added the industry's legalization to an existing bill banning Historical Horse Racing (HHR) games, allowing him to skip several committee reviews that have killed past efforts. Unfortunately, time was not on the side of the bill as the 2024 legislative session ended on Monday, May 20.

The Minnesota Senate and House both worked through the weekend but were mired in party politics and controversial topics. While they did agree to pass a ban on HHR games, they did not have time to begin discussions on sports betting, which led to the issue being dropped from the bill. 

“We're going to come up just short on the sports betting bill this year.  But in the last few days, we proved that we could find a deal that all the major stakeholders could live with.  Tribes, tracks, charities... That's meaningful progress that can be a foundation for the future,” Stephenson shared on “X” after the bill failed.

The 2025 Minnesota legislative session will be the next chance the state will have to legalize sports betting. That session is set to begin on January 14, 2025.

Hopes High For Legalization in 2025

While the bill's defeat ends the best chance the state has had to legalize sports betting, many see the effort as a victory. The changes made by Rep. Stephenson helped quell the issues between the tracks, tribes, and charities, finally finding a balance that satisfies all three stakeholders.

The question in 2025 will be whether Stephenson can once again go through or around the Senate Finance Committee. The committee has been a significant roadblock for sports betting in the past, but this year’s effort circumvented it. While increased support for the effort could force the committee to drop its objections, it is now the most significant hurdle any sports betting bill will need to jump in 2025.