MPR: Candidates for governor of Minnesota open to more gaming

Thursday, August 26, 2010  

"Minnesota's three major party gubernatorial candidates would consider expanding gambling to help the state recover from the economic downturn, a prospect that has brightened the hopes of those lobbying to put slot machines in the state's horse tracks.

Although Native American tribes say they'll fight any attempts to expand gambling that would present competition to Indian casinos, two of the candidates -- Democrat Mark Dayton and the Independence Party's Tom Horner -- both say they'd like to expand gambling to help solve the state's $5.8 billion budget deficit.

Horner is proposing a racino measure which would allow the state's two horse tracks to install slot machines. He wants to use the $250 million in projected new revenues to build a new Vikings stadium and to fix the state's budget.

"We have a $6 billion shortfall. Legislators understand how deep that hole is and how hard it will be to climb out of it," Horner said. "I think gambling is going to be an option that will get a closer look than it has in past years."

Dayton would like to establish a new casino at the Mall of America or at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He also said a state-run casino in the Twin Cities metropolitan area would be good for the state because it would provide competition to Mystic Lake, which is run by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux community."

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Three gov candidates would look at gambling expansion (Minnesota Public Radio 8/26)