Super Bowl Party Betting & Gambling–What’s Legal In MN?
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement, betting and gambling are illegal in Minnesota if it's an organized, public affair. So, what does that mean for your Super Bowl private social bets? Here's what the law has to say about it;
The law states that any "bet" is illegal. They define a bet as, "a bargain whereby the parties mutually agree to a gain or loss by one to the other of specified money, property or benefit dependent upon chance, although the chance is accompanied by some element of skill."
It would appear that your social betting is illegal. HOWEVER, there's an exception in the criminal gambling statute for private and social betting.
For your game to be a private and social bet it cannot be part of 'organized, commercialized or systematic gambling.' The owner of the location/establishment can't profit from the bet or advertise the gambling. That's why gambling in a business is illegal because the owner indirectly benefits from the customer patronage.
But, it seems as though the law was written for you and your friends to be able to make bets and wagers during a private setting in your own home as long as it's not a regularly scheduled event.
So according to the law, if you're betting your mom a dollar that P!nk will take longer than two minutes to sing the Super Bowl National Anthem, you're probably fine.
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