Online Casinos in Minnesota
Are real-money online casinos legal in Minnesota, and what can you actually play in a state where 11 tribal nations control the casino floor and sports betting still has not passed?
Short Answer
No. There are no licensed online casinos in Minnesota.
Minnesota has not enacted an iGaming law, and no agency licenses online slots or table games. Brick-and-mortar gambling runs through 20 tribal casinos under compacts that 11 federally recognized tribes signed with the state beginning in 1989. Sports betting is illegal in every form, retail and online. The 2026 session adjourned May 18 with SF 4139 (tribal-led mobile sports betting) and SF 4474 (sweepstakes casino ban, Senate-passed 62-3) both dead in the House. Sweepstakes sites are still accessible, though Gov. Tim Walz signed a separate prediction-markets felony ban that takes effect August 1, 2026.
How It Happened
Gov. Perpich signs the first tribal-state compacts
Minnesota becomes the first state to negotiate Class III gaming compacts under IGRA. By 1991, all 11 federally recognized tribes have video-games-of-chance compacts on terms that require no revenue share with the state.
Electronic pull-tabs legalized to fund US Bank Stadium
Gov. Mark Dayton signs the Vikings stadium bill, which legalizes electronic pull-tabs to underwrite the state's share. The tax revenue runs ahead of schedule and pays the stadium bonds off years early; the surplus now flows to the general fund.
Senate passes SF 4474 sweepstakes ban 62-3
The Senate sends the dual-currency sweepstakes ban to the House on a 62-3 vote. The bill would impose civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation under Minn. Stat. 325F.755 and extend criminal liability to payment processors, geolocation services, and platform providers.
Session adjourns; sports betting and sweeps ban both die
HF 4410, the House companion to SF 4474, never receives a floor vote in the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee. SF 4139 (tribal-only mobile sports betting) never reaches the Senate floor either. Both bills die at adjournment.
Walz signs prediction-markets felony ban
Tucked into the omnibus public safety bill, the new law makes hosting or advertising prediction-market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket a felony in Minnesota. The CFTC and the Trump administration sue the state within hours. Effective date: August 1, 2026.
Sweepstakes Casinos for Minnesota
With no licensed online casinos in Minnesota, sweepstakes sites are the closest legal option for slots and table games. The 2026 SF 4474 ban failed in the House, so the model is still accessible here. These are placeholders until our database is wired in.
Casinos we play at. We earn a commission when you sign up through these.
Why There Are No Online Casinos
Minnesota built its gambling market on the so-called Minnesota Model. After Congress passed IGRA in 1988, Gov. Rudy Perpich signed the first seven tribal-state compacts in the fall of 1989, and by 1991 all 11 federally recognized tribes had Class III compacts. The compacts have no expiration date and require no revenue share with the state, only that tribes cover regulatory costs. They authorize video games of chance and blackjack on tribal land, nothing more. The criminal definitions in Minn. Stat. 609.75 still make every other commercial bet illegal unless an exemption applies, and the Chapter 349 lawful-gambling carve-out covers pull-tabs, bingo, raffles, paddlewheels, and tipboards run by licensed nonprofits, not online slots.
Online expansion has gone nowhere. Sports betting bills have failed every session from 2018 through 2025, hung up on whether Canterbury Park and Running Aces can take bets alongside the tribes. The 2026 attempt, SF 4139 by Sens. Nick Frentz and Jeremy Miller, would have handed mobile sports betting exclusively to the 11 tribes, but DFL House Leader Zack Stephenson publicly called it issue number 27 on the agenda and it never reached the floor. SF 4474, the sweepstakes-casino ban authored by Sens. Marty, Maye Quade, Klein, Rasmusson, and Limmer, passed the Senate 62-3 on April 30, 2026 but never received a House vote before the session adjourned May 18. The legislature did pass a separate prediction-markets ban inside an omnibus public safety bill; Gov. Tim Walz signed it, and the felony takes effect August 1, 2026. No iGaming-authorization bill was filed in 2026.
What You Can Play in Minnesota
The forms of gambling Minnesota residents can legally use right now.
Tribal Casinos
Twenty casinos run by 11 federally recognized tribes, including Mystic Lake and Little Six (Shakopee Mdewakanton), Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley (Mille Lacs Band), Treasure Island (Prairie Island), Black Bear and Fond-du-Luth (Fond du Lac), and Northern Lights (Leech Lake). Compacts limit table games to blackjack; no craps, roulette, or sports betting. Minimum age is 18, though areas serving alcohol require 21.
Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing
Canterbury Park in Shakopee (thoroughbred meet May through September) and Running Aces in Columbus (harness racing May through September) take pari-mutuel wagers in person and through licensed online ADWs like TwinSpires and TVG. Both racetracks also run card rooms with poker and house-banked table games under Chapter 240. Players must be 18.
Minnesota State Lottery (Retail Only)
The state lottery has sold Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch games through about 3,000 retailers since 1990, and the mnlottery.com app only scans tickets. Third-party lottery service businesses (Jackpocket, TheLotter, Lotto.com) have been allowed to buy tickets on a customer's behalf since 2005; the state lottery itself does not run an iLottery.
Charitable Gambling
Licensed nonprofits run paper and electronic pull-tabs, bingo, raffles, tipboards, and paddlewheels under Chapter 349. The Gambling Control Board licenses operators and Allied Charities of Minnesota lobbies for the sector. Electronic pull-tabs in bars, restaurants, and veterans clubs have been legal since 2012 and are by far the largest revenue category.
Sweepstakes Casinos (For Now)
Minnesota has no statute that names sweepstakes casinos. SF 4474, which would have made operating one a felony with civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation, passed the Senate 62-3 on April 30, 2026 but died at session adjournment May 18 when the House never voted on HF 4410. Operators including the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association and Canterbury Park have already said they want the bill back in 2027.
Play Responsibly
You must be at least 18 to gamble at a Minnesota tribal casino, racetrack, lottery, or charitable game. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER for free, confidential help, or read our responsible gambling guide.
Minnesota Gambling FAQ
Are online casinos legal in Minnesota?+
No. Minnesota has not enacted an iGaming law, and no real-money online slots or table games are licensed by the state. The 2026 session did not even produce an iGaming bill. Sites advertising 'Minnesota online casino real money' are offshore and operate without state oversight.
Can I legally bet on sports in Minnesota?+
No, not in any form. Sports betting is illegal at retail and online. SF 4139, the 2026 tribal-led mobile bill from Sens. Frentz and Miller, never reached a Senate floor vote and died when the legislature adjourned on May 18, 2026. Repeated bills have failed since 2018 over how to share the market between the 11 tribes and the two racetracks.
How many tribal casinos does Minnesota have?+
Twenty casinos owned by 11 federally recognized tribes. The largest are Mystic Lake (Shakopee Mdewakanton), Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley (Mille Lacs Band), and Treasure Island (Prairie Island). The state has no commercial casinos.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Minnesota?+
For now, yes. The state has no statute naming sweepstakes casinos. SF 4474, which would have banned dual-currency sweeps and extended criminal liability to payment processors and platform providers, passed the Senate 62-3 on April 30, 2026 but failed when the House never voted on HF 4410 before the May 18 adjournment. Lawmakers have signaled they will refile.
Can I use Kalshi or Polymarket in Minnesota?+
Not after August 1, 2026. Gov. Walz signed an omnibus public safety bill on May 19, 2026 that makes hosting or advertising prediction-market platforms a felony in Minnesota. The CFTC and the Trump administration have already sued the state to block the law.
Can I buy Minnesota Lottery tickets online?+
Not directly. The Minnesota State Lottery does not sell tickets online; the mnlottery.com app only scans them. Third-party lottery service businesses like Jackpocket, TheLotter, and Lotto.com have been legal under state law since 2005 and will buy tickets on your behalf for a fee.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Minnesota?+
Eighteen for tribal casinos, the state lottery, pari-mutuel horse racing, and charitable gambling. Tribal venues that serve alcohol on the gaming floor, including Mystic Lake and Treasure Island, restrict those areas to 21 and older.
Will Minnesota legalize online casinos?+
No iGaming bill has been filed in 2026, and the legislature could not even pass tribal-only sports betting. Any future online casino bill would have to clear the same 11-tribes versus two-racetracks fight that has killed sports betting every year since 2018. We update this page when the legal status changes.