Historically, Minnesota hasn’t been the most gambling-friendly state in the US. The state’s urge to suppress the activity stretches back to 1851, during the days of the territorial legislature. However, the casino gaming industry in Minnesota has changed significantly over the years to give players plenty of options.
Today, Minnesota residents can access different gambling opportunities, including purchasing lottery tickets, betting on horse races, casino table games, and more. You’ll find 20+ tribal casinos spread across the Gopher State for the six million residents. Additionally, more Minnesotans have been recently attracted to online gambling due to their convenience, but the state regulatory landscape is strict towards digital casinos.
While efforts to legalize online casinos, sports betting sites, and daily fantasy sports in Minnesota seem to have frozen, there are plenty of offshore betting platforms for residents. You can also click https://www.bestminnesotacasinosites.com to stay updated with the changing legal landscape of digital casinos. That said, here’s a look at the landscape of Minnesota’s online and land-based casinos.
Minnesota’s Casino Gaming Landscape
Minnesota gambling laws only allow a few types of legal gambling activities in the state, including pari-mutuel horse race betting, retail gambling in tribal casinos, and charitable gambling. There’s also a state-run lottery at Canterbury Park.
Traditional land-based casinos in Minnesota have been located in Native American reservations since 1989. Today, the Gopher State features about 20 tribal casinos, featuring blackjack, slots, bingo, poker, horse racing, and other games. However, all casino players must be above 18 years old to play legally in the tribal casinos located in the state.
Who regulates land-based casino gaming in Minnesota?
Legal charitable gambling activities in Gopher State are regulated by Minnesota’s Gambling Control Board. Established in 1984, this regulatory body oversees the operation of different gambling options, including bingo, pull-tables, raffles, and paddlewheels. However, tribal casinos located in the state are regulated by individual gaming authorities.
Minnesota’s Indian Gaming Association regulates 11 tribes recognized by the federal government in the state. This collective body, established through a Supreme Court decision in 1987, gives tribes the right to conduct different gambling activities on their lands.
Minnesota first to sign tribal casino compacts in USA
While Minnesota legalized charitable bingo in 1945, the state didn’t approve other gambling activities until the 1980s. In 1982, the Minnesotans voted to approve pari-mutuel betting, making it the second most important milestone in the state’s gambling history. However, 1989 proved to be the most eventful year after the creation of the state lottery. The Minnesota legislature also organized the casino gambling control functions by developing a new department for gaming in the same year.
In the same year, Minnesota also went down in history books as the first US state to sign gambling compacts with indigenous tribes after the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act came into effect. As such, the first compacts signed with tribal organizations allowed seven tribes to offer Minnesotans video slots, poker, slot machines, video blackjack, video roulette, horse racing, Keno, and other options. The state later added regular blackjack, but roulette isn’t available in the state’s tribal casinos. Additionally, there are no commercial casinos legalized to operate in the Gopher State.
Is online gambling legal in Minnesota?
Like most US states without clearly defined gambling laws, the Gopher State gambling regulations for online gambling are vague. According to Minnesota Law Section 609, it’s illegal for anyone to operate unregulated gambling sites in the state. However, legal experts say the lack of online gambling regulations hardly makes playing online casino games illegal since there are no laws explicitly prohibiting it.
Basically, market experts seem to agree that offshore gambling in Minnesota isn’t legal or illegal. It’s generally a grey area, which Minnesota residents are currently taking advantage of to enjoy online casino games like online poker, video slots, virtual sports betting, and live dealer casino games. As such, Minnesota residents don’t need to drive for miles to the nearest tribal facility to place their wagers.
Will Minnesota Legalize online casinos in the future?
While many Minnesota residents are turning to offshore online gambling platforms for their convenience, the chances of the state legalizing online casinos don’t seem good. The state has a long history of passing anti-gambling regulations, and this trend seems to be common among local politicians.
In 2023, the state legislature sought to pass a sports betting bill that would put tribal entities in charge of the activity, but the attempt seems to have stalled since. As such, the state still has a long way to go before legalizing online gambling platforms. However, Minnesotans have plenty of gaming options in the 20+ tribal casinos spread across Gopher state.
Conclusion
While Minnesota is a liberal state, the legislature prohibits the operation of unregulated online casinos. However, Minnesota residents looking to play their favorite casino games can do it through tribal land-based casinos and offshore sites.
