Folks who live in Minnesota know that the state is divided into "up north" and "the Cities."  Up north is the largely rural northern tier of the state, from East Grand Forks to Duluth and everything in between.  The Cities are the metropolitan Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, in the southeastern corner of the state.  Speaking as someone who grew up "up north," the divide is also socioeconomic.  Way back in the day, during state hockey tournaments, my "up north" hometown team was derided as "hicks from the sticks" by the Minneapolis suburban high school we played (and beat).  Visits down to the Cities revealed the cultural divide, at least for high school students.  They loved alt rock back then, while we were stuck on "The Stroke."  (You remember Billy Squier, right?!)

Minnesota has a similar divide, at least geographically, when it comes to Indian gaming.  Eleven tribes call Minnesota home: seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux) communities.  Up north, tribal communities in Minnesota share similarities with those in North Dakota -- large socioeconomic deficits, including high poverty and unemployment rates, borne by tribal governments with responsibility for thousands of members.  Near the Cities, tribal communities enjoy one of the most lucrative Indian gaming markets in the country.  In fact, that divide gave rise to a proposal by Gov. Tim Pawlenty a few years ago -- he proposed partnering with a handful of impoverished northern tribes to open a joint state-tribal casino that would compete directly with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community's Mystic Lake, located near the Cities and one of the most financially successful tribal casinos in the country.  That proposal ended up being more of a political tool for Pawlenty than a real opportunity for the tribes.  (Want to know more about this?  Steve has a book chapter coming out that details the politics of Indian gaming in Minnesota that gave rise to innovative and controversial competing proposals to make tribal gaming "work" for the state.)

Now, Minnesota seems poised for the expansion of legalized non-tribal gaming.  The Canterbury Park racetrack is betting that this will be the year the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton authorize commercial "racinos" in the state by allowing the horse track and poker club to add hundreds of slot machines.  Dayton, you'll remember from an earlier post, is generally supportive of legalized gambling, and even floated the idea of a state-owned casino at the Mall of America during his campaign.

If Canterbury Park turns into a racino, it will be in competition with nearby Mystic Lake.  And tribes may be less willing to talk with the state about the (slim) possibility of renegotiating current compacts, which do not expire.

Read more in the Star Tribune