That's what I think. What do you think?
CBS News: E-pull-tabs hit Minn. bars to fund Vikings stadium
ROSEVILLE, MN — Gamblers tried out Minnesota's first electronic pull-tab games Tuesday in a handful of bars, as a new form of small-dollar gambling intended to help pay for a $975 million Vikings stadium ventured into the marketplace.
Five games including "Treasures of the Jungle" and "Mystic Sevens" were available at O'Gara's Bar and Grill in St. Paul and four other locations Tuesday afternoon, hours after the state Gambling Control Board approved the electronic pull-tabs at a packed meeting in Roseville. The games cleared their last regulatory hurdle with no debate and no drama, and attention quickly shifted to the rollout of the brightly colored, animated wagers on iPads.
Minnesota becomes the first state to widely offer electronic pull-tabs in bars and restaurants for charitable causes ranging from youth sports to services for the disabled.
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I tend to agree with you Dave on the point that e-pulltabs is a bad idea...on so many levels. As the article you included in this post points out, the pull-tab revenue is not guaranteed. It certainly begs the question of, "What were they thinking?"
ReplyDeleteWhere we may part a bit on opinion is on whether or not a Vikings stadium was necessary. I believe it was, because so much of our metro area economy depends on the retention of major league sports teams. I also think the boost in area jobs during a time of joblessness and economic downturn is a great by-product of the stadium deal.
Unfortunately, the way we got to the stadium bill was an absolute train wreck. The Wilf's were in control of the situation the entire time...they had fantastic bargaining leverage with the state and great negotiating skill. The state, hobbled by a severely divided, scandal-ridden, and polarized political climate, had a legislature that was tepid at best about getting the deal done. The fan base, like during the playing season, was fair-weathered at best: they rooted for the deal when it seemed like it would pass, and booed the deal when there were slow points in progress.
Had we known then what we know now, I wonder if the state would have just told Wilf to pound sand? I wonder if we would have come up with better ideas? I wonder how much people will actually miss the Metrodome when it's gone? I will.