The trajectory of Minnesota’s sports betting bill has hit an unforeseen snag as Senator Mitchell faces arrest over a burglary incident she describes as a misunderstanding rooted in family affairs. Senator Mitchell remained adamant that, upon full disclosure of the details, her role in the unfortunate event will be seen in a different light. Her statement indicated she had intentions of retrieving her late father’s ashes and was also attending to a relative diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Media outlets have established that the arrest transpired in the early morning hours of April 22.
Irrespective of the outcome of her legal tribulations, Mitchell’s arrest has plunged the Minnesota Senate into a state of indecision. The Senate, which once had a stable Democratic majority, now stands evenly split with 33 Democrats and 33 Republicans. In light of this development, Democratic lawmakers will find themselves in need of bipartisan support to move any legislation forward, including the critical legal frameworks around sports betting and historical horse racing among other pending issues.
Further complicating the legislative landscape, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy has pronounced that Senator Nicole Mitchell will abstain from participating in caucus and committee activities whilst her case unfolds in the judicial system.
The drive towards legalized sports betting in Minnesota has been a prolonged endeavor, especially for Democratic Representative Zack Stephenson who has been at the forefront of the campaign for the past four years. With a sports betting bill poised for review by the House Taxes Committee on the morning of April 30, Stephenson’s efforts may see a turning point—provided the bill overcomes the hurdles in the House. Additionally, Stephenson has been navigating a secondary bill designed to prohibit historical horse racing machines, with several legislative measures surrounding legal sports betting concurrently coursing through the Senate.
In the arena of sports betting, no assurance of passage exists without a Democratic majority in the Senate. Consequently, Stephenson, and his colleagues would require the support of Republican senators to enact either bill.
The discourse surrounding sports betting legislation is fraught with contention, exemplified by cartoons from illustrator A.F. Branco which highlight the legal quandaries facing Senator Mitchell. Despite the controversy, she remains absent from Senate discussions following her apprehension and the charges of first-degree burglary in northwestern Minnesota.
Earlier in the session, Stephenson had engineered a tentative agreement between charitable gaming entities and Native American tribes. This accord seemed to propel online sports betting negotiations forward, with a proposal to afford the tribes exclusive rights to digital gaming platforms associated with their casinos. However, the state’s horse racing venues, which would only receive a fixed sum under the bill and be denied wagering opportunities, vehemently oppose this approach. Past Senate bills that sought to include these race tracks failed, primarily due to opposition from the tribes.
Legal sports betting in Minnesota continues to confront a series of obstacles, including litigation and the Minnesota Racing Commission’s authorization of Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines among other complex issues.
Senator Mitchell, who holds the role of vice-chair on the state and local government and veterans elections committee, finds the committee tasked with scrutinizing two sports betting bills—a process now shrouded in uncertainty given her current circumstances.
The countdown is on, with the legislative session scheduled to conclude on May 20. As the story unfolds, Minnesotans and interested parties are left to speculate on the fate of legal sports betting in the state amidst the tumult of the recent arrest and its implications for the delicate balance of power within the Senate.
