ST. PAUL, Minn. (GRAY) – Many lawmakers in St. Paul seemed to think 2024 would finally be the year for a sports betting bill. Even with a rumored deal in the waning hours of the 2024 session, the bill failed to make it across the finish line.
It was unfortunate news for proponents of the bill on both sides of the aisle. The absence of a deal came mainly from a disagreement over where the money should go.
“The entire debate at the Capitol among the authors was, ‘Who’s going to profit—the tribes or the tracks? Who’s going to profit here? Who’s going to do that, who’s going to make the money?’” said Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville)
Marty, however, was focused on a different issue entirely.
The senator from Roseville has been vocal in his opposition to a sports betting bill over the years. He says his main concern is the impact gambling addiction can have on the population.
“[There’s] never a look at the suicide, never look at the mental health challenges, never look at the risk to kids or risk to athletes. None of that’s been heard after 30 some hearings in the legislature,” said Marty.
The Senator held a hearing on Wednesday in hopes of changing that.
Just under a week before the next legislative session is scheduled to begin, Marty called on experts to explain the dangers of sports betting.
He was joined by DFL colleagues who expressed similar concerns, specifically over the accessibility of mobile sports betting.
“These sports betting companies know that if people have to drive somewhere, take time out, but they can’t gamble from the carpool lane, or standing in line at the bank, or from bed or even from the bathroom. They don’t have the opportunity to turn people who might casually bet on the Vikings beating the Rams next week—knock on wood,” said Senator Erin Maye Quade (DFL-Apple Valley).
Maye Quade took a firm stance on mobile betting, arguing it shouldn’t be part of a new bill this year.
“If we are going to legalize sports betting in the state of Minnesota, then we do not need to legalize predatory mobile sports betting,” Quade said. “We can follow suit of our neighbors, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota,” she said.
Marty’s argument has drawn interest from both sides. For example, Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) was named as a Republican who’d expressed support for Marty’s efforts.
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