Minnesota sports betting is not legal in 2026. Placing a wager on a game through an offshore site, an app, or an informal arrangement is a misdemeanor under state law, and no regulated sportsbook currently operates in the state. Bills to change that are moving through the 94th Legislature, but none has cleared both chambers, and until one does, the only legal ways to wager money on sports as a Minnesota resident involve crossing a state line.
What the Law Says Right Now
Minnesota Statutes 609.755 makes it a misdemeanor to “make a bet,” which covers sports wagers placed through offshore websites, apps, or private arrangements.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 609.755 – Gambling Misdemeanor A standard misdemeanor carries up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Running a sports bookmaking operation is a felony under a separate statute.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 609.76 – Sports Bookmaking
Legal gambling in Minnesota is limited to tribal casinos operating under federal compacts, the state lottery, licensed charitable gambling, and pari-mutuel horse racing at Canterbury Park.3Minnesota Legislature. Gambling – Minnesota Issues Resources Guides Sports betting has never been one of those authorized channels.
Offshore Sportsbooks Are Not a Loophole
Sites like Bovada, MyBookie, BetOnline, and Sportsbetting.com accept Minnesota customers, but using them is not a gray area. In November 2025, Attorney General Keith Ellison sent cease letters to 14 operators of illegal gambling websites, directing them to stop offering services to Minnesota residents. The Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division had already warned the same 14 operators earlier that year of potential criminal violations, and none complied.4Minnesota Attorney General. Attorney General Ellison Directs Illegal Gambling Websites to Stop Offering Services in Minnesota Social sweepstakes casinos were included in the same enforcement push.
Beyond the legal exposure, offshore platforms offer no consumer protections. If an operator refuses to pay out, freezes your account, or mishandles your personal information, there is no Minnesota regulator you can turn to.
What Legalization Would Look Like
The proposals that have gained the most traction share one feature: tribal exclusivity. Each of Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized tribes would receive a single master license covering both in-person wagering at its casino and statewide mobile betting through a partnered platform such as FanDuel, DraftKings, or Caesars. Professional sports teams, racetracks, and other non-tribal entities would not get their own licenses.
This structure builds on the existing tribal gaming compacts rather than creating a new licensing category from scratch. The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association has coordinated the tribes’ position throughout the legislative process.
Mobile Apps
Mobile wagering is where most of the money moves in every state that has legalized both channels. You would download the tribe’s partnered app, create an account, and bet from anywhere inside Minnesota’s borders. Geofencing built into the app would verify your physical location and block any wager if your phone showed you were in Wisconsin, Iowa, or the Dakotas.
Retail Sportsbooks
In-person sportsbooks would operate at tribal casino properties with counters or kiosks for placing bets. The proposals do not contemplate standalone sportsbooks outside tribal casino grounds.
Who Could Bet and What Would Be Off-Limits
Under the pending proposals, legal betting would require:
- Being at least 21 years old, matching the age floor at most tribal casinos.
- Being physically present in Minnesota at the moment the bet is placed, enforced through app geofencing.
- A government-issued photo ID to verify age and identity when creating an account.
- A Social Security number for federal tax reporting and anti-money laundering compliance.
Some wagers would stay prohibited even after legalization. Betting on high school sports is expected to be banned, consistent with every state that has legalized. College betting is a more contested question. The NCAA has urged state regulators to prohibit individual player prop bets on college athletes, citing harassment and integrity risks; the organization reports that 36% of Division I men’s basketball players said they had been harassed by people with betting interests, and it has investigated potential game manipulation involving roughly 40 student-athletes across 20 schools in the past year. Whether Minnesota’s final bill will restrict college props is still open.
Where the Bills Stand in 2026
Efforts to legalize go back to at least 2016.3Minnesota Legislature. Gambling – Minnesota Issues Resources Guides The 93rd Legislature’s most prominent attempt, House File 2000 and its companion Senate File 1949, would have set up a tribal-centered regulated market but did not pass.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. SF 1949 – Lawful Sports Betting Establishment and Appropriation
In the current 94th Legislature, Senate File 757 was introduced in March 2025.6Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. SF 757 Introduction – 94th Legislature 2025-2026 Representatives Cedrick Frazier and Liish Kozlowski introduced a House companion that includes mandatory self-exclusion programs, problem gambling treatment funding, limits on advertising that reaches minors, and data-driven monitoring to flag risky betting.7Minnesota House of Representatives. Reps Cedrick Frazier and Liish Kozlowski Introduce Sports Betting Legislation As of early 2026, the Senate Rules Committee has advanced a sports betting bill to the Senate Commerce Committee. No bill has received a floor vote in both chambers.
Legal Betting in Neighboring States
Iowa launched both retail and mobile sports betting in August 2019. South Dakota voters approved retail sportsbooks in a 2020 ballot measure, and Deadwood casinos have taken bets since September 2021. North Dakota and Wisconsin allow sports betting at tribal casinos but have not authorized statewide mobile wagering. The closest fully mobile option for a Minnesota resident today is Iowa, and the geofencing on those apps works the same way the proposed Minnesota apps would: your bet is tied to where your phone is, not where you live.
Federal Taxes on Winnings
If you win money betting in a state where it is legal, federal tax rules apply regardless of where you live. All gambling winnings are taxable income on your federal return, whether or not you receive a Form W-2G. Operators must issue a W-2G when your net winnings (payout minus wager) reach $2,000 or more.8Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754 When net winnings reach $5,000, the operator must withhold 24% for federal income tax before paying out.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 3402 – Income Tax Collected at Source A $6,000 winning bet pays you $4,560; the rest goes to the IRS.
You can deduct gambling losses against winnings, but only if you itemize. The standard deduction leaves losses with no tax benefit. Beginning with the 2026 tax year, a new federal law caps the deduction at 90% of total losses, so even itemizers cannot fully wipe out their winnings. Losses that exceed winnings cannot be carried forward and cannot offset wages or investment income. Detailed records of each bet, win, and loss are what substantiate a deduction if the IRS asks.
If Gambling Is Becoming a Problem
Minnesota funds both inpatient and outpatient treatment for problem gambling through the Department of Human Services, along with a 24-hour confidential helpline at 800-333-HOPE and resources at GetGamblingHelp.com.10Minnesota Department of Human Services. Problem Gambling These services are available now, with no connection to whether sports betting is legal. The pending bills would tie new sports betting revenue to expanded funding and add a mandatory self-exclusion program that would let bettors ban themselves from every licensed platform at once.7Minnesota House of Representatives. Reps Cedrick Frazier and Liish Kozlowski Introduce Sports Betting Legislation