On Tuesday, protesters on both sides of the issue clashed in St. Paul, Minnesota over casino expansion. At the state’s capitol, more than 1,500 estimated protestors turned out to speak both for and against the planned legislation. Both sides say that they want to create or protect jobs.
There are a few gambling expansion bills in the Minnesota legislature. One would allow bars and restaurants to increase their gambling activity by adding pull-tabs, video slots and electronic bingo machines. Another bill would allow the two horseracing tracks in the state to add slot machines, turning them into racinos.
Both expansion plans are opposed by Native American tribes in the state that own casinos, including the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The tribes say that expanding gambling in restaurants, bars and racetracks wouldn’t increase jobs or revenue. Instead, the say that it would only result in existing customers of the tribal casinos playing elsewhere. According to them, it would simply be dividing the gambling revenue into more pieces, which would hurt the tribes.
A coalition of bar and restaurant owners, however, support the expansion plans, saying it will help their businesses. The horseracing industry, which is struggling mightily, also favors adding slot machines to their tracks.
Lawmakers who support the legislation say it could bring in additional $630 million in tax revenue. The bars and restaurants could see an additional $230 million per year, according to the lawmakers. Unfortunately, there’s no scenario where the expansion results in extra revenue for the tribal casinos.
