00:00Minnesota has had their crazy turns for like three, four years.
00:03It felt like there was a chance that at least the state was going to get going with some sort
00:07of form of legalized sports betting.
00:08But every time they inch closer, it seems like there was no progress made.
00:12And a story that you have posted over a legal sports report seemingly saying the same thing, making some progress.
00:17But then all of a sudden, the legislature pushing this back.
00:20But maybe for the first time in a while, we take another inch closer in Minnesota, Sam.
00:26Yeah, it's really been a tug of war in Minnesota, not even just this year, but the past couple of
00:30years.
00:31When you talk about sports betting, it's obviously one of those states that hasn't legalized yet.
00:35And it has more of a chance to than the others.
00:37There's no huge religious opposition in Minnesota.
00:41There's no huge anti-gambling groups in Minnesota.
00:44For Minnesota, the battle to get sports betting done hasn't been should we legalize it.
00:49It's been about who gets control in the state.
00:51For years, the Democrats have wanted to give exclusivity to the tribes in the state.
00:58There's about 11 which would get control over sports betting under this proposal, which is still alive in the legislature
01:04this week.
01:05And the Republicans, meanwhile, want to cut charitable gaming groups in on the deal.
01:10They want them to get some benefit out of it.
01:12So it's not this monopoly model, which we've seen other states adopt.
01:15So that's really been the tension here.
01:17There's been this bill that kind of was a revival of the same bill we had last year in Minnesota.
01:22There was an attempt to move it over to another committee this past week, which would have effectively killed it
01:27and slowed down the progress and just kind of made it impossible to really get done before the legislation ends
01:33on May 18th.
01:35So the clock is ticking, but the bill was not moved over to that committee, which means it's still alive.
01:40There's still this kind of bipartisan agreement that the Republicans and Democrats have together, which would give the tribal groups
01:47exclusivity, which is what the Dems want.
01:49But it would also give a lot of the tax revenue from sports betting, a 22 percent tax over to
01:55charitable gaming proceeds.
01:56So while those groups wouldn't be included in controlling sports betting, they would benefit from it in some way.
02:03So it is kind of refreshing to see lawmakers coming to some sort of compromise here in Minnesota.
02:08But just because they've come to this compromise does not mean it will get passed again.
02:13Minnesota, as you mentioned, Craig, we've been talking about for years, has not got done.
02:16And it's kind of been the same story over and over.
02:18They've inched closer, inched back.
02:20There's been a tug of war.
02:21But this could be the best chance they have in a very, very long time to get it done.
02:25So a lot of time before May, we'll see what else gets inserted into the bill, other efforts that try
02:30to kill it.
02:30Don't try to kill it.
02:31But, you know, you've got to hold out some hope here that this is a good chance in Minnesota, about
02:37as close as they've been in a long, long time.
02:38So could be when all is said and done, one of the only states we're talking about next year is
02:43going online with sports betting.
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