Gambling proposals face long-awaited vote

The Associated Press

      ST. PAUL - Indian leaders seeking a better gambling deal for their tribes squared off Friday against other tribes trying to protect their own turf, as state lawmakers tried to sort out the pros and cons of what could be Minnesota's biggest expansion of gambling in years.

      Tribal interests on both sides of the debate, as well as supporters of a casino at the Canterbury Park horse track in Shakopee, all brought their arguments to a meeting of the House Gaming Division that stretched into the evening. The meeting promised the first vote on Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposal for an unprecedented partnership between the state and three northern Minnesota tribes on a casino in the Twin Cities metro area.

      "It's an opportunity," said George Goggleye, chairman of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. "It's a chance for us to make a difference in the lives of our people, to provide for them the things they won't have, the things that the state and federal governments are cutting."

      Pawlenty and the three tribes - Leech Lake along with the White Earth and Red Lake bands - want to open a $550 million casino at an undetermined site in the Twin Cities. Profits would be split roughly in half, with the state and the tribes each estimated to earn in the range of $150 million a year.

      The plan faces an uphill battle to gain legislative approval, and the expected vote in the Gaming Division was only the first step. Lawmakers gave voice to some initial concerns, with Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, criticizing the Pawlenty administration for providing few financial details.

      "I'm just wondering ... if we will be able to really look at whether this is a worthwhile partnership for the state to enter into," Atkins said.

      Southern Minnesota tribes that already own lucrative casinos said Pawlenty's proposal would decimate their own markets. They dismissed arguments from Pawlenty and the northern tribes that the statewide picture should be more equitable.

      "It's true gaming benefits some tribes more than others," said Doreen Hagen, president of the Prairie Island Tribal Community, which owns the Treasure Island Resort and Casino near Red Wing. "But gaming was never intended to be a universal resource for tribal governments. The truth is disparities between tribes have always existed."

      The southern tribes also oppose the Canterbury Park racino, whose proponents lobbied for it at the committee as a potential economic boon for the Shakopee area.

      "It's hard for us not to judge this effort in the context of history," Hagen said. "It seems like every time our people get ahead, someone is there to knock us back."