Even though money to pay for the state’s portion of a new Vikings stadium is coming up short, don’t expect government leaders to revisit the deal … at least not yet.
The package approved this year calls for the state to pay nearly $350 million of the stadium cost using revenue from electronic pull tabs and bingo. An economic report released this week shows that since the games fist hit bars and restaurants this fall, they’ve brought in less money than projected.
But Gov. Mark Dayton says he doesn’t want to revisit the stadium agreement unless it becomes absolutely necessary. And he doesn’t think it is right now. Key players in the Legislature feel similarly, with Sen. Julie Rosen telling MPR “We haven’t allowed enough time to get this thing up and rolling.”
Revenue is lagging partly because the number of e-pull tab machines in circulation remains small, with only one vendor having passed the required background checks. But state officials also say the revenue coming in on a per-machine basis is less than projected.
