Minnesota Might Need Casino Gambling to Keep Vikings
Minnesota is facing a recurring problem for areas dependent on the economic impact of sports teams, the blatant extortion of public funding for new stadiums. In order to keep the Vikings from leaving the state, Minnesota may need to build a new venue for the team, and one lawmaker would rather create casino gambling revenue for it than raise taxes.State Representative Tom Hackbarth would like to pass a constitutional amendment to license a new casino and dedicate its gambling revenue to financing a stadium for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Hackbarth says this would let voters decide how important retaining the team is.
The NFL is notoriously adverse to gambling in all forms, but also known to love free billion-dollar arenas built specifically for its teams by taxpayers. Spokesman for the Vikings were cautious in their reaction to the casino suggestion, and no response was available from Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Many of the beneficiaries of the plan were similarly tight-lipped. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission has pushed hard for a new stadium, saying construction would create over 13,000 jobs. But commission executive director Bill Lester said, "As far as the gaming,... that would be outside of the purview of our authority."
Yet no one says that gambling revenue would not be acceptable, but merely that they do not want to be directly connected with the plan. The team continues to dangle the threat of moving to the Los Angeles market over the heads of Minnesota leaders, despite the current economic conditions. Hackbarth says his plan will solve all the issues that everyone else is too squeamish to face.
