Minnesota Sports Betting Legislation Stalemate Update
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SportsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 - The one state that we're watching even closer
00:05 maybe than Missouri is Minnesota,
00:07 who at some point that state
00:10 and the people who are watching us
00:11 who live in that state Pat realize,
00:13 sports betting is coming to Minnesota.
00:15 I don't know when, I don't know how, I don't know where,
00:18 it's gonna happen, it just seems like inevitable.
00:21 But at this point, at the very least,
00:22 there's a new bill that's being talked about
00:25 as far as legislation is concerned.
00:26 Specifically Pat, where is the update here from Minnesota
00:30 and sports wagering?
00:32 - Yeah, so as you know, last year we came into the session
00:35 and I said this was my number one state.
00:37 Again, I've said it this year,
00:39 but this new bill actually highlights a little bit of a gap
00:42 between some key parties.
00:44 I mean, in Minnesota, there's a very clear battle line cut.
00:49 The Republicans want tracks included,
00:51 the tracks want full-blown sports betting.
00:55 The Democrat Farmer Labor Party wants tribal exclusivity,
00:59 the tribes want exclusivity.
01:02 And that's where we're at.
01:03 Last year, the DFL had a big proposal.
01:06 They were all excited about it,
01:07 but it got lost in some other agenda
01:10 that they were pushing because there was some
01:13 in-party opposition to it.
01:14 And of course, you need full party support
01:18 if you're gonna get something done alone.
01:20 So they do need Republican support.
01:22 And so we left last session with the tracks
01:25 and tribes negotiating a revenue share of sorts.
01:30 And they still apparently have not come to a middle ground.
01:35 And so that's where this Republican bill comes in.
01:39 They're giving the ability for the tribes
01:42 to partner with sports teams and the tracks
01:45 for in-person sports books.
01:47 And the tracks still want more
01:51 and the tribes don't want that.
01:52 So there's still a nice stalemate in Minnesota
01:56 that at some point you have to get it over the ground
01:59 or over the edge, you would think.
02:02 Does it happen this year?
02:05 A lot of industry sources are telling me,
02:07 yes, it does still get done this year.
02:09 There's plenty of time in this session to get it done
02:11 and enough support on the DFL side to get it that way.
02:16 But we'll see what that final agreement comes out to be.
02:21 I've had DFL people tell me,
02:24 the tribes could really just go ahead and do this
02:25 as we've seen in Wisconsin and New Mexico.
02:28 They already have casinos there.
02:30 And we'll see what happens.
02:33 At this point, I don't wanna hazard a guess
02:38 to when or what the final agreement is,
02:40 but it's the state to watch this year
02:44 if I have anything to say about it.
02:46 (laughs)
02:47 (upbeat music)
02:49 (bells chiming)