Legalized sports betting appears to be on the mind of some state lawmakers as they prep for a new session that begins in mid-February.
That desire to reintroduce a bill to legalize it in Minnesota comes on the heels of the latest sports betting scandals involving both the NBA and now Major League Baseball, and that has cast a cloud over the industry.
Republican state Representative Nolan West (Blaine/Ham Lake) says sports franchises were originally concerned about the integrity of the game when sports betting first started to roll out nationwide.
"Since then, basically, all the sports teams have come around on that," West explains. "But this whole situation, I expect to impact them and their position on any bill more than the other interested parties. Bbecause a lot of people are just dug in and nothing will change their mind, you know. That's politics in 2025."
West plans to introduce a new sports betting bill in St. Paul anyway, which would need bipartisan support. And this time, he's hoping it will receive a hearing and discussion, unlike last session.
"I want to get some traction before we actually start staking out positions here, and it's very hard to just get to negotiations at all, actually," West told WCCO. "Like, it's an immovable object last session. Now that we kind of have the budget behind us, I'm optimistic that that won't continue to be the case."
West adds that the state is looking for more revenue, and sports betting is an avenue for that.
"It might say something's moving, there might be a provision or two that comes from this situation that would get inserted into the bill," says West. "But as far as people's positions, it's all about politics and money more than, you know, the integrity of the game and that kind of thing in my experience."
West says he wouldn't bet on the sports gambling passing in 2026 but he is behind the idea no matter what.
More allegations of professional athletes taking betting bribes
It might make passing a resolution to legalize gambling in Minnesota - the allegations that athletes are involved in illegal bribes and betting scandals are rocking professional sports.
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches, including tossing balls in the dirt instead of strikes, to ensure successful bets.
According to the indictment unsealed Sunday in federal court in Brooklyn, the highly paid hurlers took several thousand dollars in payoffs to help two unnamed gamblers from their native Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on in-game prop bets on the speed and outcome of certain pitches.
The charges are the latest bombshell developments in a federal crackdown on betting in professional sports.
Last month, more than 30 people, including prominent basketball figures such as Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a gambling sweep that rocked the NBA.
Sports betting scandals have long been a concern, but a May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling led to a wave of gambling incidents involving athletes and officials. The ruling struck down a federal ban on sports betting in most states and opened the doors for online sportsbooks to take a prominent space in the sports ecosystem.
Major League Baseball suspended five players in June 2024, including a lifetime ban for San Diego infielder Tucupita Marcano for allegedly placing 387 baseball bets with a legal sportsbook totaling more than $150,000.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.