Why Minnesota needs sports betting sooner rather than later

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Minnesotans love their sports. The state best known for their admiration of hockey also fields teams in all 5 of the major professional sporting leagues in the US, from baseball to soccer Minnesota has it covered. For a place that has sport so deeply engraved into its culture and society, it seems strange that sports betting is still illegal in the state.

While sports fans in around 30 states are already experiencing the thrills and enjoyment that sports betting brings, Minnesota has been left waiting for a slice of the action. Frustratingly, the state’s current ban on sports betting does not really make any sense, with gambling being commonplace within the community.

Numerous attempts have been made over the years to get sports betting legalised within the state and there is no legal reason a sports betting bill could not be pushed through in the end. Unfortunately, numerous obstacles have proven hard to overcome in the final push for legalisation, with local tribes opposing certain aspects of the house bill. With it now looking like it will be 2023 at least before betting in the state will get the green light, let us look at why Minnesota needs sports betting sooner rather than later…

Most Minnesotans back sports betting being legalised

Numerous opinion polls have been conducted in Minnesota with one question in mind, should sport betting be legalised? The results of these polls have been very conclusive, with staunch support for the introduction of sports betting being evident in the results.

Take a survey conducted by KSTP and SurveyUSA for example, here 64% of respondents came out in favour of the move to legalise sports betting, while 19% were undecided and only 17% saying they were opposed to the suggestion. The evidence is clear that Minnesotans want to wager on their favourite sports teams, with a healthy appetite for sports betting within the community.

It will raise important tax revenues for the state government

Another aspect to bear in mind is the significant tax revenues that sports betting would generate for the state once all details are finalised. There is talk of a new compact which would be signed with the native tribes to allow the state to be able to collect taxes from sports betting transactions, which could prove lucrative for the state.

Local politician and member of the Minnesota Senate Karla Bingham has indicated that wagering on sports betting could be as high as “$2 billion over the course of a year” within the state, which in return would deliver “anywhere from $30 million to close to a $100 million” to the state government depending on how the tax structure was organised. Any additional tax revenues would be highly welcomed at a time when worries about the state of the economy, rising inflation and the recovery from the covid 19 pandemic persists.

It makes a lot of sense

One Important thing to bear in mind is that gambling is no stranger to Minnesota, it is not as if this is an argument on gambling prohibition. Minnesotans are surrounded by busy casinos, eye-catching pull tabs and the ringing of slot machines so not having sports betting available for punters in a city renowned for its sporting prowess just seems odd. What is even worse is that this opens the door up to online sports betting operators with questionable legalities, or for those operating out of far-flung places such as Curaçao where legal structures can be exploited.

Americans have always loved to have a wager, you only have to look at the popularity of Vegas. Those looking to place a bet had been left with little choice but to wager offshore prior to 2018 when PASPA was overturned. Since then, sites such as gamble-usa.com have entered the market to provide reviews and guides to players in regulated states and to help them make decisions on the best legalized betting options available to them.

Minnesotans who want to sports bet will do, regardless of state law. Whether this means traveling to a state such as Wisconsin where sports betting is legal, using one of the shady online operators or even worse falling victims to online frauds purporting to be sports betting. When you look at it this way, it is a no brainer to legalise sports betting, as tax revenues will stay within the state and Minnesotans will be protected from shady practices in the online world.

Conclusion:

As we can see from the points above, it is a no brainer that this law should be passed sooner rather than later, for the benefit of both the state and Minnesotans alike. For far too long locals have gone without the betting experience which enhances the enjoyment of supporting your team and the sporting experience in general.

The thrill of betting is a major pull and Minnesotans appetite for it shows no signs of waning, therefore it is only right that the tribes, politicians, and law makers come together and push this change through so the people of Minnesota can get what they want.

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