In Minnesota, the squeeze of the recession has gubernatorial candidates talking about expanding legalized gambling.  Minnesota has a nearly $6 billion budget shortfall, and the candidates are looking for solutions.

Democrat Mark Dayton wants to take on Indian gaming directly.  He proposes a state-run casino at the Mall of America, just outside the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul -- one of the most lucrative Indian gaming markets in the country.  A state-run casino, claims Dayton, would be good for the state because it would compete with Mystic Lake, a highly profitable tribal casino operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux.

"I think for there to be a government-protected monopoly on that in the metro area is not in the best interest of the people in Minnesota," Dayton said. "We need the revenues. Competition is good for retailers, as my family has learned. It's good for politicians, and I think it's good for casino operators as well."  Minnesota tribes are less sure about the unqualified "good" that might come from competition between government-operated casinos, and are in line to oppose Dayton's idea.

Tom Horner, from the Independence Party (this is Minnesota, after all, and "third party" candidates are serious contenders), is looking to "racinos" -- legalizing limited-scale casinos at race tracks, usually consisting of slot machines.  Minnesota is home to two horse tracks, and Horner would allow them to operate slot machines which, he says, will result in $250 million in state revenue.

On the Republican side, Tom Emmer doesn't have a proposal to push, though he supported legalizing racinos as a state lawmaker.  Nevertheless, he says legalized gambling should be an option in considering how to fix the state's economy. 

All this talk about expanding legalized gambling has tribes in the state concerned.  Competition, the "good" Dayton is putting forward, could harm the jobs and economic development spurred by tribal casinos throughout the state  "The tribes aren't going to roll over on this," said John McCarthy, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.

"We're going to use every coalition that we can to try and prevent this from happening, which is part of the way the system works," McCarthy said. "Just because someone wants to do this doesn't mean it's going to get done."

The candidates are scheduled to debate the issue on Thursday morning.

Read more on the Minnesota Public Radio News website