The push to get legal sports betting in Minnesota took a crushing blow Tuesday.
Rep. Pat Garofalo reportedly informed his caucus that he won’t seek re-election in the House, ending his 20-year run representing District 58B. Garofalo, whose term ends Jan. 7, 2025, was a big proponent of sports betting in the North Star State, which has been reluctant to advance bills through the legislature.
BREAKING: Rep. @PatGarofalo will not run again. #mnleg. He just informed his caucus.
— Blois Olson (@bloisolson) January 16, 2024
Garofalo worked with sports betting advocate Rep. Zack Stephenson to build a bipartisan coalition that has pushed for legislation for several years.
Despite their efforts, Minnesotans still can’t legally wager on sports. Garofalo’s announcement won't help that situation.
Age issue
Sports betting advocates want to bring mobile sports betting with tribal exclusivity and possibly include horse racing tracks, but the North Star State feels a long way off from that in early 2024.
One of the issues that Garofalo’s fought against is the betting age. People 18 and over can enter tribal casinos, but Garofalo opposed a bill that didn’t call for 21 to be the legal sports betting age.
"Legalized sports betting presents great opportunities for Minnesota, and we need to make sure we do this right," Garofalo said in February 2023.
Failed attempts
Stephenson and Sen. Matt Klein introduced companion bills in 2023. Stephenson’s effort garnered interest, making it through several committees before dying off at the end of the legislative year.
Stephenson, who claimed that $2 billion a year was leaving the state in black market wagering, had support in 2022 from both Garofalo and Minnesota’s 11 tribes, but attempts failed to pass the House or Senate.
It’s unknown if there will be another attempt in 2024, while Garofalo is still holding office.
