MN GOP Says Casino Oversight Is Nonexistent

MN GOP Says Casino Oversight Is Nonexistent
By Ryan Gustafson, News Reporter

Several Casinos throughout the state are facing scrutiny at the Capitol, as Minnesota Republicans say they are no longer being audited.

When it comes to inspecting Minnesota's casinos, some lawmakers say the state has been letting it ride.

No inspections took place last year, and Mystic Lake and Grand Casino haven't been inspected since 2007.

Public Safety Committee Chair Tony Cornish isn't alleging any fraud, but says he's troubled by the lack of oversight.

Rep. Cornish says, "Someone said, 'can you prove there's any fraud at all? Aren't you getting excited about nothing?' But how do you discover fraud without inspections."
Like everything at the Capitol, there are some politics at play here.

Indian Casinos have typically been big supporters of the DFL, and talk about state-run gambling being used as funding for a new Vikings stadium has drawn controversy.

Rep. Cornish says, "This year the Indian community turned out to be the largest donator to the DFL party, and the most vocal criticism of what we want to do with inspectors came from one of the DFL members in my committee and there's going to be certain people trying to protect the Indian community from more closer inspectors, but it's something we got to do. They got to play under the same rules that our Legions and VFWs do."

Representatives from the Mdewakanton Tribe, which runs Mystic Lake Casino in Shakopee, say Indian casinos throughout the state already have strict oversight in place, including regulations from the National Indian Gaming commission.

They add that Minnesota does not have primary regulatory authority over their gaming operations.

But Cornish says it's high time the state got involved.