To the editor:

The recent editorial questioning the need for legalizing sports gambling is off the mark. The fighting over legalized gambling was decided by constitutional amendment back in 1988.

In the over 30 years since then Minnesota has seen a massive expansion in the ways and places people are able to gamble. With all of these options it is ridiculous to call legalized sports gambling an expansion of gambling. Instead players would be able to branch out to other forms of gambling with much better payouts. According to the MN Lottery web site scratch offs payout 65-75 percent of what they take in, Powerball barely pays out 50 percent of its income in prizes. Sports gambling pays out at much higher percentages than this and, sadly, that explains why this bill probably won’t pass, people might actually win (or at least lose less) money gambling.

Legal gambling is here to stay and it is time to give people the right to play a more equitable game.

Shawn Bakke

New Ulm