Is online gambling legal in Minnesota?

Minnesota: status at a glance

What the state allows

Minnesota is one of the states where the answer to every online product is no. Rather than carving out an internet exception, the law lists the forms of gambling that are lawful and treats the rest as outside the law. The Legislative Reference Library's gambling guide, last reviewed in December 2025, names five.

• Pari-mutuel horse racing, authorized by a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 1982 and governed by Minnesota Statutes chapter 240, under the Minnesota Racing Commission.
• A card club at Canterbury Park, authorized by the Legislature in 1999.
• Tribal casinos, operating under state law, tribal ordinances, tribal-state compacts and the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
• The state lottery, created in 1989 after voters approved an amendment in 1988, governed by chapter 349A.
• Charitable gambling, which the guide dates from bingo in 1945 and adds paddlewheels, tipboards and raffles in 1978 and pull-tabs in 1981, supervised by the Gambling Control Board under chapter 349.

None of those is an internet product. The library's text describes no Minnesota law on online gambling and lists only a 2017 House Research publication on federal online gambling law.

How the statute defines a bet

Section 609.75 supplies the working definitions. A bet is a mutual agreement in which each side may gain or lose money, property or benefits depending on chance, even if some skill is involved. A lottery is a plan that distributes rewards to people picked by chance when some or all participants paid for the chance. A game includes any game played with cards, dice, equipment, or a mechanical or electronic device for money or other value.

The same section also lists what is not a bet: insurance contracts, prizes in genuine contests of skill, bingo conducted under sections 349.11 to 349.23, raffles run by licensed or exempt organizations, horse racing under chapter 240, and the state lottery under chapter 349A. Private social bets that are not part of organized gambling are excluded as well. The list is the framework, and a game played online for money that does not fit one of those categories has no exemption.

Sports betting

The library's guide states that Minnesota has not legalized sports betting. It records bills since at least 2016, an effort in 2023 that appeared to stall over a dispute between tribes and racetracks, and press coverage in 2024 that described a bipartisan group stopping a bill. The guide does not state the final 2024 outcome, and it reports no 2025 legislative action. The status table here shows sports as none.

The law that applies to wagering on events today is section 609.75. Its definition of sports bookmaking, receiving more than five bets totaling over $2,500 on sporting events within a 30-day period, is a criminal definition and not a license.

Sweepstakes casinos

No Minnesota statute names sweepstakes casinos. Industry trackers report that Senate File 4474 passed the Senate and then stalled, which is a trade press account and not a legislature record we read. A resident therefore has only the general lottery definition to consider: a plan that gives prizes by chance when participants paid for the chance. Our guide to whether sweepstakes casinos are legal explains why the free-entry design is central, and the ban states list shows which states have acted.

Offshore casino sites

A website based abroad that offers casino games for money holds no Minnesota license, since the state licenses none. Federal rules that bear on the subject are summarized under federal gambling law.

Nearby markets

Minnesota's neighbors are Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Each state sets its own online rules, and a license from one gives no permission in another. The sports betting states page shows how they compare.

Where to get help

For help with a gambling problem, call 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). More resources are at ncpgambling.org.

Frequently asked questions

Is online casino legal in Minnesota?

No. The state licenses no online casino. Its lawful forms of gambling are racing, a card club, tribal casinos, the lottery and charitable games.

Is sports betting legal in Minnesota?

No. The Legislative Reference Library's guide states that Minnesota has not legalized it, and our table shows no licensed market.

Is online poker legal in Minnesota?

No. A card club at Canterbury Park is lawful, but it is a physical venue. The online poker states list shows where online poker is live.

Can I play a sweepstakes casino in Minnesota?

No statute addresses them, and a Senate bill reportedly stalled. The state has no license for them.