A move to potentially derail a Minnesota sports betting bill was thwarted last week.
Sen. Jordan Rasmusson made a motion to re-refer Sen. Nick Frentz’s Senate File 4139, a bill to legalize sports betting in Minnesota, to the Committee on State and Local Government. Frentz introduced SF 4139 earlier this month and was initially referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection at his request.
During a Committee on Rules and Administration hearing last week, multiple Senators testified on the issue. Ultimately, Rasmusson’s motion was denied and the bill was referred back to the Committee on Commerce.
The 2026 Minnesota legislative session adjourns on May 18.
Rasmusson argued past precident
Rasmusson, who has testified against sports betting in previous sessions, said gambling falls under the jurisdiction of the Committee on State and Local Government, so the bill should start in that committee. He said the previous eight sports betting bills introduced the past four sessions in Minnesota have started in the committee.
“Having a predictable and reliable process is important to a legislative body,” Rasmusson said.
Multiple members of the State and Local Government committee, testified in support of Rasmusson’s motion, including Sens. Erin Maye Quade and John Marty, both who have testified against sports betting legalization in the past. Last year, the trio helped kill the bill in its stop at the Taxes Committee.
Marty has advocated for strong consumer protections if sports betting will be legalized. Prior to the 2025 session, Marty held a hearing on the harms of sports betting.
Co-sponsor: different bill, different start
When he introduced the bill, Frentz said he spoke with the chairs of both committees to help decide its path and to start in the Commerce committee. The State and Local Government committee is still on the bill’s pathway to the Senate floor.
Sen. Jeremy Miller, a co-sponsor and long-time sports betting proponent, said this bill is different that previous years. Miller said the first section is about consumer protections, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Commerce committee.
Miller also said the process of deciding which committee to send a bill to by talking to both chairs is a long-standing tradition in the Senate.
Minnesota sports betting bill nitty gritty
The proposal would allow the state’s 11 tribes to operate online sportsbooks. SF 4139 would also establish 22% tax on sports betting revenue.
A significant portion of the tax revenue would help offset taxes for charitable gambling and pari-mutuel horse racing operators. That is a key provision that helps secure much-needed Republican support for the legislation.
The Republicans and Democrat-Farmer-Laborers were at odds for the first several iterations of sports betting proposals, with the DFL preferring tribal exclusivity. A bipartisan deal first emerged late in the 2024 session, but lawmakers adjourned before a vote.
Proponents came to the table with a bill primed in 2025, only to see it die early in its path. Last year’s primary sponsor, Sen. Matt Klein, chairs the Commerce committee.
