"Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty and Turtle Mountain's Ken Davis have the same goal. They want to spread the benefits of the Indian gaming more equitably.

Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, has suggested a partnership between the state and northern Minnesota tribes to put a casino in the Twin Cities.

Davis, chairman of the Turtle Mountain Tribe of Chippewa, wants to bring a tribal casino to Grand Forks.

The northern Minnesota tribes and the Turtle Mountain Chippewa have the same problem. They are far away from population centers, and so they don't reap the benefits of Indian gaming the way that some other tribes do.

Congress understood that this would be a problem when it passed the Gaming Act in 1988. The act allows for casinos away from reservations. These exceptions are difficult to get — but there are precedents."

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OUR OPINION: All tribes deserve a fair shot (The Grand Forks Herald 1/27)