Minnesota lawmakers could get another shot at making sports betting legal in the state.
Republican State Senator Jeremy Miller (Winona) has a sports betting bill that he thinks can passed this session. Miller says they were close last session but ran out of time.
He says they have agreements in principle with the key players, including the race tracks which has been a key sticking point, along with charities the state's tribal leaders.
"This proposal would give exclusive licensing to the tribes, and then the tracks would benefit with getting some of the revenue that's generated from the taxes, as well as the charities," explains Miller. "They would benefit by getting some of that revenue for tax relief for the charity."
But with the job of creating a budget, and the ongoing dysfunction in the Minnesota House over power sharing agreements, State Supreme Court cases and special elections? It's still a bit of a long shot.
"We're not quite there yet," Miller says. "It's still gonna take some more collaboration and some more compromise, but we are, I believe, very, very close to where we could get an agreement to get this done."
Miller believes the bill would be a win for all involved.
"It's a win, win, win," he says. "It's a win for the tribes. It's a win for the tracks. And it will help promote and enhance horse racing here in Minnesota. And it's a win for the charities because it'll provide much deserved tax relief to our charities so they can contribute more into the communities that they represent."