Will Minnesota Succeed in Online Gambling Ban?

Minnesota lawmakers are working hard to ban online lottery sales in the state. They are also hoping that this could lead to a ban of all forms of online gambling in the region.

To date, the plan to ban online gambling has been supported by the State Senate and it is now being reviewed by the House. This bill was introduced by Representative Ann Lenczewski in the Minnesota statehouse.

The governor of Minnesota has also made his feelings about this matter clear stating that he would not veto this bill if it received support by the House.

He did however state that the lottery would need to be given a grace period in order to remove their online games.

In February this year, the Lottery started offering online scratch-offs. While they had first introduced this offering in 2010, at that time the Lottery failed to consult with legislators.

On Thursday, the Lottery Executive Director Ed Van Patten told the House committee that he is allowed to lawfully sell lottery tickets via the Internet. He also stated that the Minnesota Lottery has policies in place which only permit a $50 weekly limit per customer on online sales.

Despite the determination of lawmakers in Minnesota to ban online gambling, those in support have stated that the revenue from gambling is good for the state and that measures are in place in order to prevent underage citizens from playing.

If the bill is passed this could also mean that online poker will not be allowed in the state of Minnesota.