Minnesota Wagering Bill Faces Challenges from Horse Tracks and Tribal Interests

The Minnesota betting bill is facing potential problems.

A bill in Minnesota, HF 2000, which is about legal sports betting, is being looked at closely. It hasn't been voted on yet and is still with the committee that deals with tax issues. The bill has changed over the past four years to add higher taxes and rules for fantasy sports games that are played daily. Zack Stephenson, a lawmaker, has said he won't agree to include betting on past horse races. People in another committee are worried about how the bill might affect horse racing tracks and casinos run by Native American tribes.

Key Issues with HF 2000

• The bill doesn't allow HHR at horse tracks.
• It suggests a $625,000 allocation for horse racing purses is insufficient.
• There's a push to maintain tribal exclusivity in gaming.
• Tribes object to sharing sports betting with horse tracks.

The horse racing tracks in Minnesota are upset because they are only getting $625,000 for prizes, which they think is too little. Meanwhile, the new law seems to give the state's Native American tribes even more control over gambling, which has made many people argue over the issue.

Understanding tribal self-rule is crucial.

Stephenson believes in letting tribes make their own choices. In the meetings, everyone agreed that tribes can pick who they do business with by themselves. This happened in Michigan when a small tribe managed to work with a big company, proving that even small tribes can do well in online businesses.

Comparing with Other States and Solving Problems

In other states, the law usually gives tribes special rights. They try to be fair to both tribes and businesses. In Minnesota, there's a pause in progress while they talk about how much control horse race tracks and tribes should have.

Legislation Status and Timeline

Two betting bills are currently going through Minnesota's legislature but neither has been agreed upon for approval yet. One bill, known as HF 2000, is waiting in the House Taxes Committee. The other bill, SF 3803, has made it through a couple of committees but is now on hold in the State and Local Government and Veterans committee. They need to sort this out quickly because the legislative session ends on May 20.

Disagreement Among Interested Groups

There are clear differences: racetracks want a part of the sports betting money, but the tribes want to keep their control over all gaming. Stephenson has to find a way to resolve this issue quickly because there isn't much time left for the legislators to decide.