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.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. The highly anticipated day has finally arrived:

BREAKING: Supreme Court strikes down federal anti sports gambling law, gives states go-ahead to allow betting on sports.

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 14, 2018

On Monday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court officially deemed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional. Meaning, while previously only legal in Nevada, sports betting is now allowed across the rest of the country.

The movement challenging the federal ban on gambling, spearheaded by New Jersey, argued that PASPA directly violated the Constitution’s tenth amendment (State’s rights). Apparently, the majority of the Supreme Court Justices felt the same way.

via GIPHY

As a result, it’s now up to the individual states to determine how they wish to handle sports betting. That process will be very similar to the “way they choose whether to offer lotteries and other forms of gambling.”

Monday’s announcement comes a little over a month after the Minnesota Legislature’s “behind-the-scenes effort” to fully permit sports betting became known:

Get your wallets out…. or not?

Minnesota Legislature is about to take on #sportsbetting.

?: @TheJohnnyMNhttps://t.co/zS87loJmi4

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 7, 2018

At that time, State Representative Pat Garofalo shed some light on the motivation behind that anticipatory move:

At this time, Garofalo is aggressively making the rounds to push forward MN’s version of a Sports Gambling Bill. On Monday, one of the very excited State Representative’s stops included some time with KFAN’s Paul Allen on Monday.

While chatting with PA, Garofalo explained that “the conservative estimate is that in the first year in sports gambling in Minnesota, over $2 billion in wagers would take place.”

For those of you anxious to start (legally) wetting your proverbial beaks, you might need to pump your proverbial breaks. The current legislative session ends on May 21st.

Per Garofalo, passing his drafted bill by that deadline is “not realistic.” He expressed a goal of having an agreement “in place before the NFL season starts this fall.

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)

MinnesotaSportsFan.com

While it couldn’t stop Nevada, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 halted full-scale sports betting for the rest of America. However, within the year, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to revisit the constitutionality of that gambling prohibition.

Reversal of the 26-year-old Act is gaining steam and, in anticipation, the Minnesota Legislature is making moves:

Move to legalize sports betting takes shape at Minnesota Legislature. https://t.co/YD6U9z5P6J pic.twitter.com/9FYAG0Ug61

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) April 4, 2018

Per the StarTribune, “a behind-the-scenes effort is underway at the Minnesota Legislature to legalize sports betting.” Pat Garofalo (Farmington) is one of the State Representatives who vocally supports the not-yet proposed legislation

Please Note: Garofalo also said he “won’t submit a sports gambling bill the tribal casinos are opposed to.”

Despite fully agreeing with Mr. Garofalo on passing a sports gambling bill, I don’t see eye-to-eye with him on the logic that if Minnesota does nothing “the offshore sports books will flood social media and scoop up bettors.” His mentioned influx of overseas gambling websites has already occurred.

Let’s not sugar coat things. The days of requiring Las Vegas or a back-door bookie to place a wager are gone. Sure, it might be against the law but; if you want to get the adrenaline flowing by dabbling in some offshore sports gambling, well, it’s easy like Sunday Morning.

How to spot a degenerate gambler every March: @5thYear pic.twitter.com/QZiUY4cr7d

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 24, 2018

I’m going to go out on a (really strong and safe) limb and say he illegally gambled on that basketball game. On that note, despite the criminal’s isolation from the party, he’s far from alone in the presumed activity:

The NFL, NCAA, and other leagues continue to argue that keeping the federal gambling ban in tact “is necessary to protect the integrity of their games.” From a fundamental point of view, that makes sense. However, from an “at least $150 billion year” point of view, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act isn’t protecting shit much.

Another organization against reversing the 1992 law is the Citizens Against Gambling Expansion (Aka: CAGE). Jake Grassel, a spokesman for the group, said “internet expansion will mean we have a gambling facility in every home, library and Starbucks in the state.”

To me, that statement makes Jake appear naive on the accessibility of offshore sports betting sites. Let’s treat the first four words like a typo and try again:

“Internet expansion will mean We have a gambling facility in every home, library and Starbucks in the state.”

CAGE’s fight to reduce addiction and prevent underage gambling is a morally strong battle. Unfortunately for Grassel and crew, sports betting is already available “in every home, library and Starbucks in the state.” anywhere with internet access. In addition to being readily available and easy to use, websites will even throw-in a little something extra for joining:

Link: Bovada.lv

As for where a company like Bovada’s proceeds’ end up? Hell if I know. Wherever that may be, doesn’t it make more sense to see those winnings and deposit fees coming right back to the Land of 10K Lakes? Wouldn’t the resulting increase in jobs be an additional positive?

I know we are Minnesota Nice, but stopping all this generosity to offshore websites seems like a no-brainer.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com