Super Bowl Sunday: Boom time for border liquor stores in Wisconsin

Not long to go now until Super Bowl Sunday, and the time when liquor store owners in Wisconsin cash in on Minnesotans.

The debate over the ban on Minnesota's liquor stores opening on Sundays re-ignited last week when lawmakers in Minnesota's House of Representatives and Senate put forward bills to repeal the law.

It comes as liquor store owners in Wisconsin prepare for one of the biggest days of the year, as their customer base is swelled by Minnesotans who didn't plan ahead for the Super Bowl and cross the border to pick up some last-minute drinks.

Speaking to KARE 11, Stillwater store owner Dave Hansen reckons he'll lose around $2,000 this Sunday because he can't open, with customers instead going to places like Historic Casanova Liquor in Hudson, Wisconsin.

"I would love to be open on Super Bowl Sunday," Hansen told the news station. "I'm right on the Wisconsin border. So the people around this community don't have to plan ahead."

Tyrrell Gaffer, owner of Historic Casanova, told KARE that 70 percent of his Sunday customers will be from Minnesota.

Long-running battle

The battle to overturn the ban has become a regular fixture on Minnesota lawmakers' agendas, though attempts have been thwarted thanks to intense lobbying from special interest groups and members of the House who support the law.

The main complaint among some small business owners is that they would feel obliged to open seven days a week, and the money they'd make on Sunday is unlikely to cover the costs of opening an extra day.

There was also an attempt in 2013 to allow liquor stores in Minnesota to open just for Super Bowl Sunday, WCCO reports, but similar objections were made.

The argument won't be solved anytime soon, so if you're planning on sampling a beer during the big game, best plan ahead to avoid a dry Sunday.