Editorial: Expansion of gaming not the answer for Minnesota

Friday, December 9, 2011  

"Minnesotans might begin to wonder if a new Vikings stadium is really feasible if lawmakers intend to rely on gambling revenues to fund the state’s portion of the multimillion-dollar project. Stadium talks this week in St. Paul focused on ways to generate stadium funds via various gambling-expansion schemes, most involving the state’s American Indian tribes.

It all looks a little tentative because tribes have their own priorities that often have little to do with Vikings football, and a proliferation of competing gambling proposals has the potential to scuttle all of them. Consider the wish list that emerged during Tuesday’s meeting of the Senate Taxes and State Government Committees:

White Earth Tribal Nation, which operates a casino on the rural reservation at Mahnomen, wants a Twin Cities casino."

Get the Story:
Forum editorial: Gambling the savior for Vikes? (The Fargo Forum 12/9)

Related Stories:
White Earth Band proposes off-reservation casino at stadium (12/7)
MPR: White Earth Band seeks Twin Cities off-reservation casino (12/6)