A Swing and a Miss for Minnesota Sports Betting in 2024

Sports betting legalization was never as close in the state of Minnesota as it had been this year before the latest legislative session ended Sunday with no deal on a proposed launch. Residents will continue without legal access to our best sports betting sites.

Momentum had been on the side of legal sports betting proponents in the state before the close of the 2024 legislative session Sunday night. The state’s tribes, tracks, charities, and sports teams were in lock-step in their support of finally getting something done. 

Numerous politicians had also signaled their support of a broad Minnesota sports betting platform in 2024, even passing bills in the House and Senate before amendments and time derailed their plans.

Minnesota's legal sports betting discussions will pick up again with that momentum. But it will have to wait until 2025 and the next sitting of the North Star State legislature.

“We’re going to come up just short on the sports betting bill this year,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson, author of the proposed sports betting legalization bill, on social media Sunday night. “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.”

What was on the line

Minnesota’s efforts to get a legal sports betting platform across the finish line in 2024 came close, and mirrored a few states that have not only legalized but now have thriving wagering scenes.

Rep. Stevenson, who authored HB 5724, saw his bill heavily discussed in both chambers of the legislature but failed to get to a necessary vote in order to keep the plan afloat this year.

The plan would see the North Star State’s 11 native tribes gain exclusive control and access to online and retail sports wagering in the state. Those 21 years of age and older would have been eligible to sign up and place a bet with one of the state’s providers, and the platform would have been taxed at 20%.

The news of a sports betting demise means Minnesota bettors will miss out on wagering on their beloved Timberwolves, who will play in the NBA Western Conference Final. It also means opportunities to wager on the 2024-2025 NFL season are all but gone.

More about the momentum

The momentum for the legal sports betting fight in Minnesota is all about how all sides with a stake in the sports betting industry came together and shared some agreement about what the potential platform would look like, specifically about how revenues and taxes would be utilized after legalization.

For the first time in the North Star State, Minnesota tribes, horse tracks, professional sports teams, and charities all agreed.

Despite some movement among lawmakers, they ultimately failed to do their part. The state’s House of Representatives and Senate ultimately failed to vote on a plan.

Both bodies voted on a bill prohibiting historical horse racing (HHR) on the last day of the legislative session, but that is about as far as they got.

Where Minnesota goes from here

With 2024 being an election year, there is a real chance that some of the lawmakers who failed to get sports betting across the finish line in the House anyway may be voted out on the November election ballot, both in the House and the Senate. 

The Minnesota Senate seats will be contested in 2026.

Will new blood bring a new push or more opposition to sports betting? It is awfully tough to say, but the hope is that movement toward legal sports betting will continue and that the aforementioned momentum will continue when the legislature picks up again in 2025.