After last biennium’s bill fell short, a new piece of legislation to legalize sports betting has been introduced in the Minnesota house by representatives Cedrick Frazier and Liish Kozlowski.

“We have seen the consequences of inadequate regulations in other states, and we are determined to do this right. Our aim is to create a model that other states can look to when implementing their own sports betting laws,” said Rep. Frazier.

This version of the bill includes exclusive mobile licenses for tribal nations, revenue sharing amongst the tribes, charities, and other organizations, as well as increased consumer/bettor protections and safeguards.

“This year also features new provisions around safeguards for our younger bettors. There are things like a three-hour delay after money is deposited on wagering, and some different push notifications to make sure that folks are really making conscious decisions as they’re participating in a legalized regulated market,” said Rep. Kozlowski.

While sports betting isn’t legal yet, there are still people who gamble on sports illegally, putting themselves at risk.

“We know from studies that have been done over 1.5 million Minnesotans that we know of are partaking in this illegal marketplace, and we want to make sure that it’s not this patchwork system. That we don’t see the consequences of inadequate regulations that we’ve seen in other states, and we get this right,” said Rep. Kozlowski.

Rep. Kozlowski is especially pleased with the protection of Tribal Sovereignty in the bill, allowing the group with the most experience in regulation of gaming to be heavily involved.

“Here up in the Northland and across all of Minnesota, our tribal partners have been regulated by the state, federal and tribal regulations in terms of gaming, they’ve been doing it for decades and they’re also some of our biggest producers of jobs in our regions. The economic impact is massive, and so we are making sure that we are uplifting that and centering that along with the consumer protections and the revenue sharing,” said Rep. Kozlowski.

Last session’s bill received bipartisan support, and if it does again this time around, that could help it get across the finish line.