TLDR Minnesota Legislature passed SF 4760, a public safety bill that includes a ban on prediction markets Operators, facilitators, payment providers, and advertisers face felony charges under the new law The ban covers wagers on elections, sports, weather, public health crises, wars, and more The CFTC may sue Minnesota, as it has already sued five other states over prediction market jurisdiction The provisions take effect Aug. 1, 2026, if signed into law
Minnesota lawmakers have approved a sweeping public safety bill that includes a ban on prediction markets, making operators and facilitators subject to felony penalties.
The bill, SF 4760, passed the Senate 57-9 and the House 100-32 after a conference committee finalized compromise language last Friday.
The original version of the bill did not include prediction market language. The Senate had passed standalone legislation targeting prediction markets earlier in the session, and the House later folded those provisions into the omnibus bill.
When the amended bill returned to the Senate, lawmakers refused to concur with the changes. A conference committee was formed to resolve differences, and the final version kept the prediction market ban intact.
What the Minnesota Prediction Market Ban Covers
The legislation defines a prediction market as a system that lets consumers wager on the future outcome of events not determined by the parties to the contract.
The list of covered events is broad. It includes athletic events, esports, elections, government actions, legal proceedings, weather events, and public health crises.
It also covers wars, national emergencies, assassinations, mass casualty events, popular culture outcomes, and even wagers on whether a person will make a particular statement.
Under the law, a person commits a felony if they create, operate, or manage a prediction market platform as part of a business. Intentionally facilitating prediction market activity also