Minnesota Sports Betting 2026: Legal Status and Your Options

Minnesota has no legal sportsbooks. There is no regulated online or retail sports betting in the state, and bills have failed every session since 2018. Daily fantasy sports are your best bet from mobile, open to players 18 and over, and prediction markets, which run under federal CFTC regulation. Minnesota tried to criminalize those exchanges in 2026; a federal judge blocked the ban on July 27, 2026, before it took effect.

Is sports betting legal in Minnesota?

No. Minnesota has no state-regulated sportsbooks, online or retail, and is one of roughly eleven states with no legal sports betting of any kind.

Plenty of other gambling is legal here:

• Tribal casinos - Eleven tribal nations run in-person games like blackjack and slots

• The state lottery - Draw and instant games statewide

• Charitable gambling - Pull-tabs, bingo and raffles

• Horse racing - Pari-mutuel wagering, including licensed online advance-deposit wagering on races

Why does Minnesota have no sportsbooks?

The answer lies at the heart of two conflicting interests:

• The tribal nations. They expect sports betting to run through them, the way casino gaming already does.

• The two horse tracks. Canterbury Park and Running Aces need to protect their own economics. If the tribal nations control sports betting, they miss out.

• The politics. Split control compounded by  sports betting never being a top legislative priority.

Recent bills tried to bridge the gap by barring wagers on horse racing itself and steering money toward track purse supplements, these did not pass. Attempts like such have failed repeatedly since 2018.

What can Minnesotans use right now?

• Daily fantasy sports (DFS). Minnesota has not regulated DFS and does not prohibit it, so operators run on the argument that these contests are predominantly skill, backed by the federal UIGEA carve-out. Age is 18 and up, with geofencing and ID checks. Underdog, PrizePicks, Sleeper, Betr and the DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy products all operate here.

• prediction markets. You trade against other participants, or the market, at market-set prices rather than against a house. Regulated federally by the CFTC as markets for event contracts, generally 21 and up, and gated on physical location rather than residency.

Sweepstakes-style casino sites drew cease-and-desist letters from the Minnesota Attorney General in November 2025, and the two-currency model is treated as a violation of state gambling law. Offshore sportsbooks are unregulated, with no state consumer protections behind them.

Where do prediction markets stand in Minnesota?

Contested in law, available in practice. The sequence matters:

• May 18, 2026. Governor Tim Walz signs SF 4760, making Minnesota the first state to criminalize operating, hosting or advertising a prediction market. The ban is set to take effect August 1.

• May 19, 2026. The CFTC sues, arguing these event contracts are federally regulated instruments and that federal law preempts the state ban.

• July 27, 2026. U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez grants a preliminary injunction, holding that federal law expressly preempts the ban. This made the August 1st enforcement date null.

• July 29, 2026. A federal judge in Wisconsin reaches the opposite conclusion and lets that state keep enforcing, now it's a split issue.

So the exchanges are operating in Minnesota today on a preliminary ruling rather than settled law. Appeals are expected to come.

What should you compare?

• Commission. Some platforms take a cut of every trade; some are commission-free, so you keep 100% of your winnings. Over time this is usually the biggest difference in what you keep.

• Who you're up against. Trading player-to-player is a different proposition from playing against a house whose terms are set against you.

• How prices are set. Market-set prices can move in your favor. A margin is fixed against you.

• Availability. It has to be open to eligible players in Minnesota, which for the exchanges currently rests on a court injunction rather than on state law.

What's next for Minnesota?

• The legislature. A bill would have to satisfy the tribal nations and the two tracks at once. Nothing has passed since the first attempt in 2018.

• The courts. The July 2026 injunction is preliminary. The appeals will decide whether the exchanges can keep operating here.

Until one of those resolves, daily fantasy and prediction markets are what Minnesotans have. This page is updated as the situation changes.

Key takeaways

• No legal sportsbook. The DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbook apps are not available in Minnesota, and no bill has passed since the first attempt in 2018.

• Daily fantasy is the settled path. It operates unregulated at 18 and up, and the major operators are all here.

• Prediction markets are available, not settled. They run under a July 2026 federal injunction, not under Minnesota law.

• Location is the test, not residency. Both categories check where you are physically standing.

Minnesota sports betting FAQ

• Is sports betting legal in Minnesota?

No. There are no state-regulated sportsbooks, online or retail.

• Are DraftKings and FanDuel legal in Minnesota?

Their sportsbooks are not. Both offer daily fantasy products that operate in the state.

• Is Underdog legal in Minnesota?

Yes, as a daily fantasy platform for players 18 and over, using geofencing and ID verification.

• Are prediction markets legal in Minnesota?

They are operating under a federal injunction granted July 27, 2026, which blocked the state's ban before it took effect. That is availability, not settled law.

• Do I need to be a Minnesota resident?

No. Eligibility turns on age and physical location. Daily fantasy is typically 18 and up, the exchanges 21 and up.

• How do these platforms know I'm in Minnesota?

Geofencing and ID checks for daily fantasy, and physical-location verification for the exchanges. Leave an eligible area and access may be restricted until you return.

• What can I play or trade on?

Coverage varies by platform, but commonly pro and college basketball, football, hockey, baseball, UFC, tennis, golf and soccer.

• When will Minnesota legalize sports betting?

No date. Bills have failed since 2018 over how the tribal nations and the two horse tracks would share a legal market, and sports betting has never been a legislative priority.

Sources

1. Minnesota Sports Betting - Legal Sports Report - https://www.legalsportsreport.com/sports-betting/states/minnesota/

2. Is Underdog Legal in Minnesota? Rules and Taxes - LegalClarity - https://legalclarity.org/is-underdog-legal-in-minnesota-rules-and-taxes/

3. Is Online Betting Legal in Minnesota? Laws and Penalties - LegalClarity - https://legalclarity.org/is-online-betting-legal-in-minnesota-laws-and-penalties/

4. Minnesota Sports Betting - Covers - https://www.covers.com/betting/usa/minnesota

5. Minnesota House Session Daily (legislative status) - https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/18380

6. Novig Secures CFTC Designation - PR Newswire - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novig-secures-cftc-designation-bringing-the-first-prediction-market-built-for-sports-fans-nationwide-302801964.html

7. Novig Wins CFTC Approval as Competition Intensifies in Sports Prediction Markets - CNBC - https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/16/novig-wins-cftc-approval-as-competition-intensifies-in-sports-prediction-markets.html

8. CFTC Sues Minnesota to Block State Law - CFTC press release - https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9233-26

9. Feds sue Minnesota to block law making prediction market trading a felony - CBS Minnesota - https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/cftc-lawsuit-minnesota-prediction-market-felony-law/

10. Minnesota Prediction Market Ban May Turn On Swaps Definition - SCCG - https://sccgmanagement.com/sccg-articles/2026/07/03/minnesota-prediction-market-ban-may-turn-whether-all/

11. CFTC Sues Minnesota, Bringing Prediction Markets Preemption Fight to Six States - Sheppard Mullin - https://www.sheppard.com/insights/blogs/cftc-sues-minnesota-bringing-prediction-markets-preemption-fight-to-six-states

12. Federal judge halts Minnesota's prediction market ban (July 27, 2026) - Reason - https://reason.com/2026/07/28/federal-judge-halts-minnesotas-prediction-market-ban-signaling-other-states-efforts-might-be-illegal-too/