Casino & Lottery
Minnesota gambling laws have a strict definition of gambling, but the state regulates several popular forms of gambling. Most of the gambling laws are the conventional, common-sense statutes one would expect from a moderate Midwestern state. Tribal casinos and bingo halls dominate Minnesota’s gambling industry, though other forms of gaming are allowed in the right circumstances.
For instance, charitable electronic pull-tab games were legalized to build an NFL stadium. Social gaming is allowed on a widespread basis. Online casinos and poker sites are not regulated, though.
We’ve listed our favorite casinos, sportsbooks and poker sites accepting players from Minnesota below. Pick a site and start playing!
Like online sportsbooks, online casinos are unregulated in Minnesota. Bettors can play on safe and legal casino sites, but they must find the most trustworthy sites themselves. Read our honest reviews for our top recommendations.
Yes and no. Minnesota sports betting is not regulated, but law enforcement doesn’t prosecute residents who bet on sports at online bookmaker sites. No state lawmakers have introduced legislation to regulate sportsbooks, so Minnesota gamblers cannot legally make a bookmaker bet in the state. Since Murphy v. NCAA, the landmark US Supreme Court decision which repealed PASPA, only happened in May 2018, Minnesota lawmakers might take up in the issue in 2021.
With so many tribal casinos, legal sportsbooks might be legalized in due time, but tribal gaming compacts are complicated, so it might take time to get the legal framework right. Minnesota’s lawmakers tried to pass daily fantasy sports regulations in 2018 (H 1415, SF1402). The bill had its first reading (February 2017), second (May 2017), and third reading (April 2018). The measure was slightly amended on April 12, 2018 to make it more acceptable to legislators. Despite that move, the bill failed to pass on April 24, 2018. Thus, the daily fantasy sports industry exists in a gray area. Most DFS operators are active in Minnesota, but it is an unregulated jurisdiction.
It is safe and legal to gamble online in Minnesota, but players must pick the safest gambling sites which accept Minnesota residents. The state’s lawmakers have never regulated and licensed online betting sites. Furthermore, they show no signs of doing so anytime soon, so you’ll need to find respectable offshore online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites that accept your play. Read our reviews for the best options in each category.
Many Minnesota online poker players visit unregulated offshore online cardrooms. These are not licensed under Minnesota law, though law enforcement does not prosecute residents for the games they play in the privacy of their homes. Minnesota’s legislature has not regulated online poker. No major efforts have been made to pass a Minnesota online gambling bill. The state’s people do not appear concerned about gaining the ability to play online poker. Social games are legal and, in fact, are tied to land-based Minnesota casinos. These appear to be enough to satisfy Minnesotans’ need for online and mobile gaming.
Yes. Minnesota has a substantial social gaming presence online. Treasure Island Casino has its own online social gaming sites. Also, the various Grand Casino and Sevens Clans casinos — Seven Clans Red Lake, Grand Casino Hinckley, Seven Clans Thief River Falls, Grand Casino Mille Lacs, and Seven Clans Warroad — all have links on their websites to Double Down Casino. Also, Slotomania, Big Fish Games, and Zynga Poker are available for play through Facebook. Each has its own social gaming app, as well. MGM Resorts’ PlayMGM social gaming site is available, but players only can play for comps and other rewards — not cash prizes.
Minnesota sports bettors should open an account at Bovada, the US successor to Canada’s Bodog. Anyone making a first deposit in the sportsbook receives a $250 welcome bonus. Members bet on all major leagues on point spreads, moneyline bets, or totals (over/under). They can use American odds, fractional odds, or decimal odds. The MLB baseball page includes futures bets on the 2021 Major League Baseball season, including the various division winners.
The minimum gambling age in Minnesota for charitable bingo, raffles, and pull-tab games is 18. The legal age for casino gambling (normally) is 21 years or older. The law states that casinos that serve alcohol may impose the 21-year old limit.
Bovada Casino is the best online casino for Minnesota gamblers. New players receive a $3000 max welcome bonus at Bovada, the US sister site to Canada’s Bodog Casino. Play over 300 online slots, including Terracotta Wilds, Wheel of Cash, or Zombies vs. Cheerleaders II.
The best online poker site for Minnesota cardplayers is Ignition Poker. In 2016, Ignition bought Bovada’s poker community, instantly making it one of the biggest card playing communities in the US gaming market. Ignition’s 2021 poker bonus is $1000 at 100%, no matter what your deposit method is. Ignition Poker’s schedule includes big weekly events like the $150K guaranteed poker tournaments, $100k guaranteed high roller events, and $2500 freerolls. The daily poker event schedule includes cash games at many bet levels, monster stack events, SNGs, and jackpot sit & go tournaments for Android and iOS card players.
Minnesota’s gambling laws have a strict definition of what is “bet” is. Even if a form of gaming involves an element of skill, it is considered a bet if two or more parties strike a bargain for gain or loss. Here is the relevant part of Minnesota’s gaming law.
Section 609.75(d)(1)
A bet is a bargain whereby the parties mutually agree to a gain or loss by one to the other of specified money, property or benefit dependent upon chance although the chance is accompanied by some element of skill.
Like most other states, making a bet is a misdemeanor. Even illegal gaming operators are committing a misdemeanor in most cases, where such operations are a felony in some states. The list of misdemeanor gambling laws is listed in sub-section 755 of Section 609 of Minnesota’s law.
Section 609.755
Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor:
(1) makes a bet;
(2) sells or transfers a chance to participate in a lottery;
(3) disseminates information about a lottery, except a lottery conducted by an adjoining state, with intent to encourage participation therein;
(4) permits a structure or location owned or occupied by the actor or under the actor’s control to be used as a gambling place; or
(5) except where authorized by statute, possesses a gambling device.
This means that most forms of gambling are illegal in Minnesota. Charitable bingo halls are legal and plentiful, but casino gambling is not. Also, online gambling is not regulated in Minnesota. Unless you want to gamble on bingo, most forms of gaming are banned.
Electronic pull-tabs, a form of raffle game, were legalized to help pay for U.S. Bank Stadium — the home of the Minnesota Vikings. The provider of electronic pull-tab equipment had trouble with the rollout and revenues were slow at first. Minnesota Gambling Control Board executive director Tom Barrett could not account for the early troubles, but they eventually were fixed. Eventually, pull-tabs generated $250 million a year to help pay for the $1.061 billion stadium.
Yes, Minnesota has 40 land-based casinos and 2 racinos. Tribal casinos dominate the gaming industry in the Land the 10,000 Lakes.
Yes. Minnesota has horse racing and pari-mutuel wagers, though the venues have been turned into racinos these days to keep the tracks solvent.
The state also does not have off-track betting facilities. Pari-mutuel wagers can made at racinos.
Yes, Minnesota has charitable bingo halls.
Electronic pull-tab games were legal for a time to pay for U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings NFL team and the Minnesota Golden Gophers NCAA baseball team.
