Racino bill won’t fly
Even though it makes tons of sense and would protect the average taxpayer in Minnesota from any participation in the costs, a newly-revised “racino” bill has virtually no chance of passing into law.
The proposal, which would approve thousands of slot machines to be added to the gambling operations already in existence at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, would, under its latest revision, completely fund a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, minus the portion paid for by the Viknigs’ ownership. Cost estimates are around $875 million, with ownership paying for approximately one-third of the costs. One would need an acne light not to see the sense in the basic idea, since it protects the general taxpayer from bearing the costs of a new Vikings stadium.
The barriers to passage come from both sides of the political fence. Minnesota’s DFL Party is heavily influenced by the Native American lobby, which by treaty has an exclusive right to all casino operations in Minnesota; Canterbury Park has no Native American ownership.
And Minnesota’s GOP is strongly influenced by religious conservatives who would oppose any state-sanctioned expansion of legalized gambling, by and large. The racino bill is being lobbied for by former GOP leader Dick Day.
The racino is being stopped by DFL leadership alone in order to protect their largest contributor. This is all about tribal money and the massive influence it buys. The tribes even fund some of the “anti-gambling” organizations opposing the racino. The handful of social conservative Republicans would have no chance of defeating the racino. They represent the 18% that not only oppose the racino, but also the lottery and any other form of gambling. Just think, the latest poll shows 84% of Democrats in Minnesota support the racino, yet it can’t pass one committee–all controlled by Democrats. Whatever happened to representative government?