There has been a mad rush by a number of states to quickly move forward with sports betting legalization once the Supreme Court overturned PASPA 1992 in May 2018.
A number of states have since legalized sports betting and tapped into a multi-billion dollar market. While many states pushed forward with sports betting legalization, not all of them have been successful in getting their bills approved.
One of the more notable examples of this is Minnesota. The state tried to push for inclusion of sports gambling in the state’s tribal casinos but this was shot down by the lack of interest by the state’s tribal authorities. However, with Iowa opening up to sports gambling, a renewed push for it is seen on the horizon.
KARE 11
Iowa opened the doors to legal sports betting back in May. The effort has seen a big boom in the state’s gambling revenue as many sports fans jumped on the betting bandwagon. This is why two of its neighboring states in Wisconsin and Minnesota are prepping for their own legal sports betting push. Wisconsin already has plans for legal sports bets, while Minnesota is reconsidering its options.
Roger Chamberlain was the Minnesota Senator that pushed for the initial sports betting bill in the state and he wants to give it another try. The new push is being fueled by both the value of sports betting and the fact that Iowa managed to legalise sports betting before Minnesota.
With Iowa as a regional leader when it comes to sports gambling, the other states are trying to keep up. Iowa’s casinos are proud of being able to offer sports betting and they are going all out to promote the fact and lure gamblers from Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Diamond Jo Casino in Iowa opened its sportsbook last month and brought in John Randle as part of their opening festivities. Randle is an NFL Hall of Fame inductee but he didn’t play for Iowa. He was a Minnesota Viking.
In a statement, Pat Garofalo, a Minnesota State Representative, wrote
A sportsbook in Iowa is having former Minnesota Viking John Randle make their 1st bet. Not someone from Iowa, someone from Minnesota. Elected officials in Minnesota now understand the consequences of refusing to take legislative action on sports gambling?!
With Iowa in the lead, Minnesota is hoping to play catch up as legislators start to consider legal sports betting again. Both Chamberlain and Garofalo are pushing for legalized US sports gambling, one in the state senate, the other in the house of representatives. This time around, they might be more successful in their efforts.
About The Author
