MPR: Minnesota tribes face another threat to casino empire

Wednesday, October 19, 2011  

"With just five weeks to put together a stadium plan for the Minnesota Vikings, supporters are looking hard to find revenue sources for the project.

Gambling is an obvious source, said bill sponsor Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, and odds greaten that gambling might be part of the final proposal as stadium backers try to come up with the state's $300 million share of the $1.1 billion dollar stadium.

Funneling gambling money to an NFL stadium could face long odds, said the state's casino operators. Minnesota's 18 tribal-run casinos would likely dig in competitively against a state-run gaming expansion, said John McCarthy, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association. That could delay the stadium and increase cost, both of which the Vikings and stadium backers want to avoid.

McCarthy said that the governor's deadline of five weeks to come up with a solution isn't enough time to weigh the unintended consequences, such as the cost in outstate casino jobs and the other gaming expansion that might follow.

"I think that the folks that are talking about it, I think that they're trying to build the hype for it," McCarthy said. "Once again, they're diving into very dangerous water without checking what's there.""

Get the Story:
Gambling regains footing in Vikings stadium finance talks (Minnesota Public Radio 10/19)