This legislative session, the gambling issue will create political battles all across the US. In no state, however, will those battles
Lawmakers are gearing up for an intense legal battle over whether or not to allow casinos, but also slots in bars and at state race tracks. Several proposals have already come to the forefront, and allies on both sides of the issue are preparing for what could be a long couple of months.
Members of the Republican Party and tribal groups have started to get their message out that gambling expansion would be bad for the state. The tribe's stand to lose millions of dollars if they suddenly come up against competition for gamblers in Minnesota, while Conservatives have long been in favor of gambling prohibition.
The eighteen tribal casinos in the state are owned by tribe's that have spent millions of dollars each year to back specific political candidates. Their lobbying presence is one that has kept gambling expansion bills from passing for decades. This time, however, the pro-gambling forces are aligning for many different reasons.
The Minnesota Vikings are looking for a new stadium, and some lawmakers have suggested gambling expansion as a way to fund a new stadium. Other legislators point to the billions of dollars that tribal casinos are generating in revenue, while Minnesota only gets a small portion of those funds.
If privately owned casinos were approved and regulated by the state, the Minnesota budget stands to gain millions of dollars in tax revenue. That alone will be a reason that lawmakers will look long and hard at possible expansion this session.
March 6, 2011
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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