The Minnesota House Commerce and Policy Committee met Wednesday and held a roughly 35-minute discussion on sports betting in Minnesota. There was no vote Wednesday, and the bill is awaiting a vote in the House Taxes Committee.
The bill, which legalizes both sports betting and betting apps to Minnesota.
responsible gambling funding.
Wednesday’s discussion was led by Zack Stephenson, the bill sponsor and chairman of the House Commerce and Policy Committee.
Holdups to legalization 1a2u18
There were debates Wednesday about including historical horse racing in the bill, but Stephenson was adamant the bill won’t include the legalization of HHR machines.
“There is no universe in which any bill that leaves this committee is going to authorize historical horse racing at the tracks,” Stephenson said. “That’s a total non-starter.”
Rep. Anne Brindley pushed back against Stephenson’s assertion that HHR should be banned, and suggested the state’s horse racing tracks aren’t being adequately included in the bill.
She also argued that the sports betting model, as proposed, might only benefit a couple of tribes, rather than all 11, depending on which tribes partner with that major operators that dominate other markets. She brought up the idea of profit sharing between the tribes.
“Have you considered that (profit sharing) as a way to ensure some equity and fairness among the tribes to ensure that they’re not left out by not having one of those couple vendors?” Brindley asked.
Stephenson didn’t entertain that idea and said that the tribes are sovereign nations and that he wouldn’t want to control their spending.
“I am tickled to hear a Republican concerned about income disparity,” Stephenson shot back.
The back-and-forth between Stephenson and Brindley was contentious.
Next steps z45i
Debates about how to balance tribal and horse track control over sports betting have caused major holdups in the past. Working through those discussions is critical to the state’s possible legalization of sports wagering.
Minnesota’s legislative session lasts through May 20, giving legislators more than a month to come to on the best path forward for sports betting.
There’s also a bill, SF 1949, working its way through the Senate that would legalize sports betting in Minnesota.
