TLDR
- Minnesota’s November 3 elections will fill all 134 House seats and all 67 Senate seats, with the parties currently almost evenly split.
- Minnesota is one of the few U.S. states without legal online sports betting or commercial retail sportsbooks.
- The DFL supports limiting mobile sports betting to tribal operators, while most Republicans favor a broader licensing model.
- A 2022 bill failed after a Senate committee added racetracks and tribes opposed the change.
- A 2022 SurveyUSA poll found 64% of Minnesotans support legal sports betting, with 17% opposed.
Minnesota voters head to the polls on November 3, and the results could affect whether the state legalizes sports betting. The issue has been stuck in the state legislature for years.
Minnesota is one of the few U.S. states that has not legalized online sports betting or commercial retail sportsbooks. The state has several tribal casinos, but lawmakers have not created a framework for regulated sports wagering.
All 134 seats in the Minnesota House and all 67 seats in the Senate are up for election. Right now, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and the Republican Party are almost evenly split in both chambers.
That close balance has been a major reason lawmakers have not agreed on a sports betting bill. A stronger majority for either party could change that.
How the DFL Wants to Legalize Sports Betting
The DFL supports a model that would limit mobile sports betting to tribal operators. Tribes could run their own platforms or partner with existing gambling companies.
Tribal nations, charitable gaming groups, and Minnesota’s two horse tracks eventually reached a compromise. The deal kept tribal exclusivity while offering financial benefits to the other groups.
However, the agreement did not win enough support in the legislature to pass a bill.
A larger DFL majority could give supporters more room to push the tribal-led plan. Still, some DFL lawmakers remain unwilling to approve any expansion of gambling.
Supporters would need to convince those lawmakers that the proposed safeguards and expected revenue are enough.
What Republicans Want From a Sports Betting Bill
Most Republicans have favored a broader licensing model. It would include horse tracks and charitable gaming groups along with tribal operators.
That approach ran into trouble in 2022. The House passed a plan for tribal-controlled sports betting, but a Senate committee changed it to include racetracks.
The tribes opposed the new version, and the proposal failed.
A larger Republican win could bring new calls for a more open market. But setting aside the current compromise could restart the same dispute that ended earlier efforts.
Republican lawmakers also do not share one clear plan for how sports betting should work in Minnesota. A change in party control may not lead to a bill that all groups accept.
Public opinion appears to support legal sports betting. A 2022 SurveyUSA poll found that 64% of respondents favored legalizing it, while 17% were against it.
The November 3 election will decide which party holds the votes to pass new laws. However, several of the main disagreements that have blocked sports betting in Minnesota remain unresolved.
