Minnesota lawmakers are positioned to pass a ban on sweepstakes casino games later this month. The same cannot be said for sports betting.
- Minnesota is nearing passage of a sweepstakes casino ban with bipartisan support and minimal opposition.
- Efforts to legalize sports betting have stalled, with no bill advancing out of committee this session.
- Lawmakers are prioritizing restrictions, including potential prediction market bans, over expanding regulated gaming.
The ban on digital dual-currency games has faced minor opposition as the legislation has advanced through four Senate committees. The bill could go to the full Senate floor in the coming day or weeks, where it will likely pass with widespread, bipartisan support.
The companion House bill has not gained as much attention, but it could be a redundancy should the Senate pass its version as expected. The House could easily take up the Senate version and, if there are no changes, it would have the same effect as if it had passed up its own instalment of the bill.
Minnesota lawmakers have joined a growing number of politicians considering similar bans in other states. Indiana and Maine have already passed sweeps casino bans this year, and Oklahoma, Maryland, and Tennessee are among the states that have considered similar moves.
Ban proponents have argued these laws are necessary to prevent the thousands of unregulated gaming sites operating in the state without consumer protections or problem gambling assistance. Sweeps operators have testified that their dual-currency system is legal, and their sweepstakes offerings are akin to promotions offered by a company such as McDonald’s.
This argument has been largely unsuccessful. More than a dozen states have passed or considered sweeps casino bans; none have formally legalized them.
Sports betting stalls
Minnesota lawmakers have also resisted online sports betting.
A bill to legalize mobile sportsbooks has not been voted out of a single committee, a required first step to passage. Though lawmakers discussed sports betting legalization this week, the bill did not receive a vote and its sponsor admitted the bill had little chance to pass before the 2026 legislative session concludes next month.
This is despite support from the state’s existing gaming establishments, as well as the pending launch of statewide mobile sports betting in neighboring Wisconsin. Sports betting legalization opponents have maintained that these books would propagate problem gambling at the expense of Minnesota citizens.
Lawmakers are advancing separate legislation to prohibit prediction market sports event contracts, which detractors argue are tantamount to sports bets. A Senate committee discussed sports betting and prediction markets earlier this week before advancing a prediction market prohibition bill while taking no action on legalizing sportsbooks.
