Is Sports Betting Legal in Minnesota? Where the Law Stands in November 2026

No. Sports betting is not legal in Minnesota, online or in person. As of this site's latest review, no sportsbook holds a license in the state. The Legislature has not passed a legalization bill. Running a book is a felony. The open question is prediction markets: a new state law makes them a felony, but a federal judge has blocked it while the case goes on.

Our full Minnesota guide covers the basics and is updated as things change. This piece covers what changed this fall and what comes next.

What the statute says

Minnesota's ban comes from its criminal code. Minn. Stat. § 609.76 makes sports bookmaking a felony. That rules out any licensed retail counter or mobile app taking sports wagers in the state. The casinos run by Minnesota's 11 tribal nations offer other gaming but do not take sports wagers. Offshore sites that advertise to Minnesotans are not licensed here, and using them is not legal.

So a Timberwolves fan in Minneapolis can't legally place a sports wager with a bookmaker, an app or a casino. That holds for regular-season games, the playoffs and futures markets alike. The minimum age written into every legalization proposal so far is 21.

Why the 2026 session ended without a bill

Bills to legalize mobile sports betting have been filed in several recent sessions. Each one stalled. The 2026 session adjourned in May without passing one. The usual sticking points are who would control the market, especially the role of the tribal nations, and whether horse tracks and charitable gaming would get a share.

All 201 seats in the Legislature were on the ballot on Nov. 3. Whatever the new House and Senate look like, a bill would have to start over when the 2027 session opens in January. Nothing legalizes sports betting before then. Even if a bill passes next year, the state would still need to write rules and issue licenses before anyone could legally place a wager.

The prediction market fight

In May 2026, Gov. Tim Walz signed a law making it a felony to run or advertise a prediction market in Minnesota, starting Aug. 1. The law never took effect. On July 27, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez blocked it. She found it was likely preempted by the federal Commodity Exchange Act. The suits were brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Kalshi and Polymarket US.

Attorney General Keith Ellison is defending the law on behalf of the Department of Public Safety. He has said the state will keep litigating. As of the latest review, the order blocking the law was still in place.

How exchanges differ from sportsbooks

A sportsbook sets its own odds and takes the other side of every wager. A prediction market is an exchange regulated by the CFTC. Users buy and sell contracts on an outcome, such as whether the Wolves win a given game. Prices are set by other traders, not by the house. A contract trading at 60 cents means the market sees the team as favored at about 60 percent.

While the court order stands, Minnesotans can use CFTC-regulated venues including Novig, Kalshi and Polymarket US. On Novig, you take a position at a price set by other traders. Whether federal law lets these exchanges operate over state objections is the question in front of the court. If the order is lifted or reversed on appeal, access in Minnesota could end quickly.

What to watch

Three things matter from here: the new Legislature's leadership and committee chairs in January, any appeal or further ruling in the prediction market case, and whether tribal leaders back a framework they can support. Until one of those changes, Minnesota remains one of the states with no legal sportsbook. For Wolves coverage, see our Timberwolves page.

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