State leaders are looking toward gambling dollars to revive discussions about paying for a new Vikings stadium. There’s a broad range of options including a racino, a new casino, or expanding charitable gambling.
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A group of bipartisan lawmakers say they oppose any plan to expand gambling to raise revenue for a Vikings stadium. Meanwhile, Dayton says tapping Legacy funds might be an "option," and the city of Minneapolis shared some details about its own proposals for a stadium.
Governor Mark Dayton met with legislative leaders in the latest step toward a Vikings stadium solution. Both sides emerged from the more than two hours behind closed doors to say there are no breakthroughs in their efforts to find an adequate financing plan to build a new facility.
A new lottery game, slot machines at race tracks, electronic pull tabs, and a new casino were all supported by at least sixty percent of respondents. A majority oppose spending public dollars on a stadium. But that opposition is weaker than it was in a poll last spring.
The Star Tribune reports the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Canterbury Park horse-racing track have reached a 10-year agreement. The deal calls for the tribe, which operates the nearby Mystic Lake Casino, to contribute tens of millions of dollars to Canterbury purses. In exchange, owners of the racetrack in Shakopee agree to end their pursuit to add slot machines and help block efforts to expand gambling in the Twin Cities metro area.
Minnesota's 18 Indian casinos bring in an estimated $15 billion a year. Part of this revenue could help finance a new Vikings stadium, but it's still unclear if the Governor and GOP leaders will consider expanding casino gambling to an off-reservation site. The Star Tribune reports tribal leaders and a battalion of lobbyists are preparing for a potentially fierce battle at the State Capitol.
The Minnesota Racing Commission will hold a special meeting next week in Shakopee to discuss the proposed deal. The Mdewakanton Sioux Community has agreed to pay $75 million over the next decade to boost racing purses at Canterbury Park. In exchange, the racetrack would drop its longstanding push to add slot machines and help block any plans to expand gambling in the Twin Cities. The agreement needs approval from the Racing Commission.
The largest casinos in the state are operating with little to no government oversight. The Star Tribune reports it has been at least four years since slot machines were inspected at Mystic Lake Casino in Shakopee, Grand Casino Hinckley and Grand Casino Mille Lacs. The Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement division of the DPS told the paper budget constraints have reduced the number of inspections by its three full-time agents. The executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association says all casinos in the state are also regulated by the tribal governments.
MPR reports some Republican lawmakers want to use some of the state's Legacy funds to help build a new home for the Vikings. But critics say voters didn't approve the amendment to fund professional sports stadiums.