Dayton sees pull tabs as viable funding option for Vikes stadium

Posted at 3:35 PM on November 1, 2011 by Paul Tosto
Filed under: Sport

Gov. Mark Dayton today told reporters electronic pull tabs gambling is a viable option to help pay for a new Vikings football stadium but he effectively took tax increases off the table, saying the votes were not there in the Legislature.

The Vikings threw their support behind a stadium plan for Arden Hills that required a county sales tax increase. The county, though, would have needed a legislative exemption to pass the tax without a public vote. Dayton, though, made it clear that lawmakers would not back the exemption, throwing the entire Arden Hills plan into jeopardy as well as a Minneapolis plan that would have used a city sales tax increase.

Vikings officials are expected to speak on the matter at 4 p.m.

While pull-tabs might be a politically palatable tool to raise money for the public funding of a Vikings stadium, it's not clear that it would be enough on its own. The public was expected to pick up about $650 million of the estimated $1.1 billion cost of the Arden Hills stadium.

But Rep. John Kriesel, an author of the electronic pull tabs bill, tweeted today that it would bring in only about $20 million a year.

johnkrieselJohn Kriesel

Previous estimates said up to $40 mil per year. RT @Seth_Kaplan: How much money would electronic pull tabs bring in for the state?

Nov 01FavoriteRetweetReply

Seth_KaplanSeth Kaplan

@johnkriesel With those numbers... do you think state would increase it's contribution from $300M to $350 or $400M?

Nov 01FavoriteRetweetReply

in reply to @Seth_Kaplan↑

@johnkriesel
John Kriesel@Seth_Kaplan the electronic pull-tabs bill was meant to help the charities that have been hurt so only $20 million or so would go to state.
Nov 01 via EchofonFavoriteRetweetReply

Despite taking the sales tax off the table, Dayton said he remained optimistic that a deal could get done.