Minnesota state Rep. Patrick Garofalo got some yard work done this weekend. He tweeted Sunday that as the state legislature was set to close, no votes had been taken, so he was tidying up his yard. It’s not really a satisfactory alternative to, say, wagering on the final round of the PGA Championship, the first-place Minnesota Twins, or the Minnesota Vikings.
But what’s a Minnesotan to do? Ten days after the Missouri state legislature closed without any action — and lots of contentious debate — on sports betting, its northern friend did the same. On May 12, the Minnesota House ed a bill that would have put sports betting in the hands of the state’s 11 tribes. Less than a week later, a Senate committee amended the bill, changing how tax revenue would be allocated and taking that exclusivity away. The Senate version of HF 778 would allow two racetracks to also offer sports wagering.
In both versions of the bill, residents would have had access to retail and statewide mobile wagering with a 10% tax rate and a fairly open, competitive marketplace. But the question of what entities would be able to offer wagering is the critical difference. And neither side blinked.
MIGA withdraws 33t43
The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association last week wrote a letter opposing other versions.
“Through the stakeholder process, Rep. Stephenson, Rep. Garofalo, and others crafted a bill that accomplishes the goal of providing a safe and competitive marketplace for Minnesota sports bettors without threatening the viability of tribal gaming in the state. … If amended by the A-22 amendment, which expands commercial gaming, all 10 MIGA tribes would then oppose the legislation,” the letter said.
I am extremely disappointed the MN Legislature could not agree to legalization of sports wagering. This will not get any easier for future legislatures to resolve. The time is now MN. 1/2
— Karla Bigham (@karlabigham) May 21, 2022
The net result is that Minnesota remains one of just 16 states that has yet to legalize wagering in some form. So far this year, multiple options for legalization by referendum in November.
Since the Ontario.
“[There are] too many legislators focused on short-term political considerations instead of thinking about what is best for the whole state,” Garofalo told the Duluth News Tribune Monday. “The sports gambling issue is symbolic of how screwed up the lawmaking process is in Minnesota.”
