Although sports betting still isn’t legal in Minnesota, bettors in that state certainly tried to place their bets on Super Bowl 58.
According to GeoComply, the leading geolocation service provider for US sportsbooks, more than 4,000 accounts located in Minnesota attempted to access online sportsbooks in other states over Super Bowl weekend. Those 4,000-plus accounts attempted more than 31,000 geolocation checks, which happen at various times during the registration, depositing, and betting processes.
In terms of location, most bets took place in and around the Twin Cities area, with 62% of the geolocation checks trying to use legal online sportsbooks in Iowa.
29% more betting interest in Minnesota this year
Those 4,000 accounts mark a 29% increase compared to Super Bowl weekend last year, per GeoComply. And those 31,000 geolocation checks represent a 17% increase compared to last year.
Both increases are not all unexpected, as the momentum toward legal sports betting in Minnesota keeps building and building. Currently, there is one piece of legislation on the table, SF 3803, that would legalize sports betting. Authored by Sen. Jeremy Miller, the bill would give online control of sports betting to the state’s 11 federally recognized tribes — and those tribes are supporting the bill.
But Miller’s bill also attempts to please Minnesota’s racetracks by allowing them the right to open retail sportsbooks.
Minnesota would have a 21-plus sports betting industry, and operators would be taxed at 15%.
What’s next for Sen. Miller’s bill
Miller formally filed SF 3803 on Thursday, and it is assigned to the Senate Committee on State and Local Government and Veterans. That committee does not have a meeting currently on its schedule.
In addition to receiving support from the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, SF 3803 also has the support of Gov. Tim Walz, who has openly told reporters he will sign a sports betting bill if it clears both houses of the Minnesota Legislature and reaches his desk.
“I think the issue is can they get a bill through the House and Senate that meets all those constituency needs,” Walz told reporters this week. “If they do, I’ve said I will sign it.”
