Tax breaks for the 2018 Super Bowl in Minnesota are safe — at least for now.

The Minnesota Senate on Monday rejected two attempts to scrap tax subsidies for the National Football League’s biggest event.

During a debate on a major tax bill, senators defeated, 35-31, an amendment proposed by Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, to repeal a sales tax exemption on game tickets under a law dating from the 1992 Super Bowl in Minneapolis. Dibble argued pro football’s wealthy owners don’t really need that $9.5 million tax break.

“This feels good, doesn’t it,” Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, sarcastically told the amendment’s supporters. Although the tax subsidy is unpopular, he warned it was part of the state’s successful bid to land the game.

“This Legislature is going back on the state’s word if this passes,” Bakk said.

Earlier, the Senate rejected, 36-29, an amendment offered by Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, that would have barred the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority from receiving a $2.7 million sales tax exemption it has requested to cover events related to the game, such as tailgating events or an interactive zone for fans. That request is advancing in a separate bill.