ST. PAUL –To help repair this year’s budget hole and create 1,300 new jobs, State Senator Dick Day (R-Owatonna) and Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) have re-introduced their bill authorizing a racino, a racetrack with slot machines, which would generate at least $100 million every year in revenue to the state.

"Our purpose in re-introducing the racino bill at this time is two-fold," Day said. "First, a racino will inject at least $100 million and probably closer to $200 million into the state treasury every year. To solve this year’s nearly $1 billion deficit we could make smaller cuts to the current budget or take less from reserves than we have to otherwise."

"Unlike other bills that have passed already this session,"

Buesgens added, "My bill doesn’t cost the taxpayers a thing—not unless they choose to go to the racino. The money stream would begin to flow as quickly as six months from the day of the bill’s passage and could be used for any general fund purpose including property tax relief, education, healthcare and transportation or deficit reduction."

"Second," Day continued, "We are calling this the Day/Buesgens Jobs Bill. Democrats are claiming that every bill they pass is a jobs bill. The $6.6 billion transportation bill was a jobs bill; the $1 billion bonding bill was a jobs bill. Well, this is our jobs bill. When the racino is fully up and running it will provide 1,300 private sector jobs, not to mention the 650 construction jobs. These are good jobs that are covered by state laws, regulations and standards."

The estimated $3 billion gaming industry in Minnesota is comprised of eighteen Native American casinos. Minnesota is the only state in the country that doesn’t have a revenue sharing agreement built into the tribal compacts which authorized the casinos in 1989.

Day said, "Some Republicans oppose gambling because they think it is sinful; Democrats oppose a state-sponsored racino because they want to protect the Native American tribes who gave them more than $1 million in campaign contributions in 2006. The fact is, however, more than 80% of Minnesotans gamble, and 70% believe the state should have its own casino."

"I don’t know how anyone in good conscience could vote against a bill that will have such a big impact on Minnesota for so little cost," Buesgens concluded.