The Minnesota Legislature is considering no less than
fifteen separate proposals that would enact changes in Minnesota lottery and
charitable gambling, and authorize new gambling forms and venues in the state.
Several House bills now in committee would prohibit the
Minnesota Lottery from expanding sales of certain lottery tickets online and at
gas pumps or ATMs. Governor Dayton vetoed a similar measure at the end of the
2014 session. Another proposal, House File 1371, would dedicate state lottery
net proceeds to local roads and bridges. House File 123 would require the
lottery to include warnings about the odds of winning in its advertising and
promotional materials.
Other measures under discussion would modify taxation and
regulation of the state's charitable gambling pulltab programs, legalize
betting on professional and collegiate sports, authorize the lottery to operate
slot machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, change and clarify
horse racing regulations, and add tournaments and contests of whist, a card
game similar to bridge, to the list of permitted social skill games.
The majority of the gambling proposals are being heard by
the State Government Finance Committee and the Commerce and Regulatory Reform
Committee. The bill proposing to dedicate lottery proceeds to local roads and
bridges is before the Transportation Policy and Finance Committee.
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