In addition to the usual bets on who would win and by how much, they could also wager on a dozen or more “prop” bets on everything from the amount of total points scored to how many touchdown passes Kirk Cousins would throw.Īt the same time, the playoff-hungry Twins were their own source of betting intrigue. On the machines, customers could make more than a dozen bets on a single NFL game, of which there were more than a dozen on Sunday alone. This is not the little betting card your ne’er-do-well-uncle got from a shady guy at the back of a local bar. The sportsbook is managed by FanDuel, the daily fantasy sports company well known to fans after millions spent marketing. The parking lot of the casino just over the Iowa border - about 75 minutes from the south metro - was filled with Minnesota plates Sunday, as it has been every Sunday since football season started, casino workers said.Īmid the cacophonous bleep-bloop-blots of the slot machines and the odoriferous cocktail of tobacco and heavily perfumed air, Vikings jerseys were popular among the customers waiting at sports betting kiosks resembling ATMs. And you’re going to see a steady increase in Minnesotans choosing to spend their entertainment dollars in Iowa as opposed to Minnesota,” said Garofalo, whose Twitter feed is filled with arcane sports betting jargon and commentary.ĭuring the opening 17 days of legal sports betting in Iowa, sportsbooks took in a bit more than $8.5 million, shelled out a bit more than $2.1 million in winnings and paid $146,000 in taxes, according to a report of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. “Iowa is well positioned due to Minnesota’s lack of action. The trip was Garofalo’s latest move to champion legalizing sports betting in Minnesota, an idea that faces heavy odds in the face of significant opposition from his own party as well as indifference among the DFL leaders who control the House.

Each paid $20 to take a bus here Sunday so they could get a closer look at a sports betting operation that opened last month after the Iowa Legislature legalized it in May. He had led the delegation of three dozen Minnesota lawmakers, legislative staff, lobbyists and curious gawkers. “Anything for our constituents,” joked Rep.

They had to win by more than 8½ points to beat the spread, and the final score was 34-14. They bet on the Vikings, but it wasn’t enough for the purple guys just to win. NORTHWOOD, IOWA – The Vikings game was a snoozer, but the Minnesotans watching the big screens at Diamond Jo Casino were still cheering loudly Sunday long after the outcome of the Raiders game seemed certain.

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