Two years ago, I disappointed my nephews by writing Minnesota lawmakers should put off approval of sports betting for at least a year.
My reasoning was that none of the businesses that will profit in a big way from sports betting in Minnesota are Minnesota companies.
As it turned out, the Legislature couldn’t reach an agreement in either 2023 or 2024 to legalize sports betting. I don’t think it will this year either.
I’m still fine with that, with apologies to my nephews. (And to my employer. The Minnesota Star Tribune, like many media companies, sees revenue opportunities in legalized sports betting.)
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could decide whether to allow sports betting, Minnesota has been on a slow roll about it.
Legislators historically are cautious about the proliferation of vices. The state’s decision in 2017 to allow Sunday alcohol sales came six years after lawmakers allowed the state’s brewers to sell alcohol on their property, the move that led to an explosion of craft beer makers.
Two years ago, Minnesota was already in the minority of states that had not legalized sports betting. Now it’s just one of 12 states that hasn’t.
The debate here has been shaped by a tug-of-war between the state’s Native American tribal nations, which have exclusive rights to operate casinos in Minnesota, and two metro-area racetracks where gambling is also allowed.