A "behind-the-scenes effort is underway at the Minnesota Legislature to legalize sports betting in defiance of current federal law," according to a front-page piece by J. Patrick Coolican of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Minnesota state Rep. Pat Garofalo said that the state should "act now to have the legal infrastructure in place" in case the U.S. Supreme Court "deems the federal ban unconstitutional." Garofalo added that with a legal framework in place, sports betting in Minnesota would be "properly regulated and taxed and not left to an overseas gray market." More than a dozen states are "considering similar legislation." But getting a law passed in Minnesota this year "will be a heavy lift given the legislative calendar." The state Legislature is "set to adjourn" May 21 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/5). Meanwhile, in Providence, Patrick Anderson reported Rhode Island on Tuesday "bid for a company to run athletics wagering" at Twin River's casinos and made a "case to lawmakers why -- should the U.S. Supreme Court allow it -- expanded gaming is essential to protect the state's third largest revenue source." Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo's budget proposal for next year includes $23.5M in "new state revenue from legalized sports gambling at Twin River's casino in Lincoln and its planned casino in Tiverton." The budget proposal, and a Senate bill with the same language, "leaves most of the details of sports wagering in Rhode Island to be worked out" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 4/4).
LEAGUES GETTING INVOLVED: In Chicago, Bill Lukitsch noted top pro sports officials on Tuesday told state lawmakers that they are "open to legalizing sports betting in Illinois if the federal government allows it, but they want to ensure their leagues get a cut of the money needed to protect 'the integrity of our competitions.'" NBA Senior VP & Assistant General Counsel Dan Spillane said that the "views of professional sports leagues have 'evolved' over the past 25 years." At issue is a proposed state law that would "allow casinos to take sports wagers at brick-and-mortar locations and on the internet." The state would "tax the industry, but opponents say Illinois doesn't need to add gambling options to its casinos, horse racing tracks, lottery, and video machines in bars and restaurants." Spillane and MLB attorney Bryan Seeley told lawmakers that they want to "make sure games stay competitive and free of corruption, saying a well-regulated legal betting framework could provide helpful information to perform their own internal investigations of league misconduct." They also want to "see a so-called integrity fee from the casinos -- a percentage of the wagers placed -- to pay for the costs of making sure competitions remain honest." No one from the NFL or NHL "spoke at the hearing" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/4).
STILL UP FOR DEBATE: In K.C., Kite & Shorman write lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri are "grappling with whether to legalize sports betting and bring an illegal, underground market into the light." Leagues that oppose betting, like the NCAA, "could opt out." Two Missouri bills would "legalize sports gambling in casinos, and one of those would legalize it online." That bill would also give 1% of "total wagers to the leagues, which proved a point of contention" yesterday in a Missouri House committee. A third Missouri bill would "open the door for sports betting, but set forth little regulatory framework." Meanwhile, several Kansas casinos "oppose the bill, saying the sports leagues should not receive a cut of the wagers because they don't contribute to the state's economy." The Missouri Gaming Commission also "took issue with the royalties proposed in one of the Missouri bills because it would cut into casinos' revenue" (K.C. STAR, 4/5).
