Introduction to Minnesota Slot Machine Casino Gambling 2017
Minnesota slot machine casino gambling consists of video slot machines at tribal casinos. All of Minnesota’s 18 casinos are on American Indian reservations. Only electronic video slot machines exist in Minnesota, as traditional physical reels are not legally permitted.
Minnesota’s tribal casinos are legally regulated by the state through a negotiated state-tribal compact subsequently approved by the U.S. Department of Interior.
Minimum and maximum payout percentages for slot machines are legally required to be 80% and 95%, respectively. Minnesota’s American Indian tribal casinos are not required to provide actual values for their payout percentages.
Minnesota’s two pari-mutuel facilities offer card games but are currently legally prohibited from providing slot machines of any sort.
This post continues the weekly blog series “Slot Machine Casino Gambling, State-By-State“, a year-long online resource project dedicated to guiding slot machine gambling enthusiasts to success.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Minnesota*
The legal age for gambling is 18.
Minnesota’s urge to prohibit gambling is older than its statehood, as the 1851 territorial legislature enacted strict prohibitions against all forms of gambling. This prohibition held for nearly a century, and still influences legalized gambling in Minnesota.
In 1947, Governor Youngdahl enacted an anti-slot machine law which originally drove an estimated 8,000 illegal slot machines out of Minnesota.
In 1984, the state legislature legalized the private ownership of “video games of chance,” but not gambling on them. In 1986, however, video gaming machines began to appear in tribal casinos.
In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Cabazon decision that tribes could conduct any gambling form that a state permits, without state regulation. In 1988, the U.S. Congress passes the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, affirming legal basis for gaming on tribal land and authorizes tribal-state compacts for casino-style gambling.
In 1989, Minnesota signed compacts with 7 tribes for video gambling. This is significant because Minnesota tribes the first in the nation to negotiate and sign gaming compacts with a state government. Also in the same year, legislature was passed to increase penalties for gambling on video games of chance outside of tribal casinos.
In 1990, the state legislature ends the licensing of video games of chance outside of tribal casinos and classifies them as illegal gambling devices. In the same year, the state signs two more tribal-state compacts to allow further video gambling at tribal casinos.
In 1993, a legislative effort begins in an attempt to legalize video lottery in bars, but is rejected in the following year.
Minnesota has negotiated 22 tribal-state compacts with 11 federally-recognized tribes, resulting in the establishment of 18 tribal casinos in the state. These American Indian tribal casinos currently operate under a combination of state law, tribal ordinance, and tribal-state compacts.
Both the tribes and the state agreed to limit casinos to video games of chance (video slot machines without physical reels) and blackjack. Both parties agreed that the compacts should be effective in perpetuity.
Minnesota’s state government has made publicly available all tribal-state compacts on Minnesota’s Tribal State Gaming Compacts webpage, currently consisting of 100 downloadable pdf files.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws apply to various forms of gambling. This information is not intended to provide legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Minnesota
Private ownership of slot machines is legal in Minnesota, without restriction regarding date of manufacture.
Gaming Control Board in Minnesota
In 1989, the Minnesota state legislature created a Department of Gaming with a commissioner sitting on gambling and lottery boards as well as the racing commission. In 1991, the Department of Gaming was abolished and the racing commission, gambling board, and lottery were all made independent.
Minnesota’s state-tribal compacts permits class III games, but limit them to blackjack and video games of change only.
The compacts provide for inspection and approval of machines by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, specifically the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division, licensing of casino employees, machine payout percentages, and regulation of the play of blackjack.
Casinos in Minnesota
All of Minnesota’s 18 casinos are on American Indian reservations. The largest casino in Minnesota is the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. It has 4,000 gaming machines and 100 table games. The second largest casino is Treasure Island Casino. It has 2,200 gaming machines and 50 table games.
Minnesota’s two pari-mutuel facilities Canterbury Park and Running Aces offer card games but are currently legally prohibited from providing slot machines of any sort.
Minnesota’s tribal and pari-mutuel casinos include:
- Black Bear Casino Resort in Carlton, a tribal casino.
- Canterbury Park in Shakopee, a pari-mutuel facility.
- Fond-du-Luth Casino in Duluth, a tribal casino.
- Fortune Bay Resort & Casino in Tower, a tribal casino.
- Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, a tribal casino.
- Grand Casino Mille Lacs in Onamia, a tribal casino.
- Grand Portage Lodge & Casino in Grand Portage, a tribal casino.
- Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel in Morton, a tribal casino.
- Little Six Casino in Prior Lake, a tribal casino.
- Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, a tribal casino.
- Northern Lights Casino & Hotel in Walker, a tribal casino.
- Palace Casino & Hotel in Cass Lake, a tribal casino.
- Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort in Granite Falls, a tribal casino.
- Running Aces in Columbus, a pari-mutuel facility.
- Seven Clans Casino Red Lake in Red Lake, a tribal casino.
- Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls in Thief River Falls, a tribal casino.
- Seven Clans Casino Warroad in Warroad, a tribal casino.
- Shooting Star Casino Hotel in Mahnomen, a tribal casino.
- Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, a tribal casino.
- White Oak Casino in Deer River, a tribal casino.
Summary of Minnesota Slot Machine Casino Gambling 2017
Minnesota slot machine casino gambling consists of video slot machines at tribal casinos. All of Minnesota’s casinos are on American Indian reservations. Only electronic video slot machines exist in Minnesota, as traditional physical reels are not legally permitted.
Minnesota has negotiated 22 tribal-state compacts with 11 federally-recognized tribes, resulting in the establishment of 18 tribal casinos in the state. The largest is the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, with the second largest being Treasure Island Casino.
Minimum and maximum payout percentages for slot machines are legally required to be 80% and 95%, respectively. Minnesota’s tribal casinos are not required to provide actual values for their payout percentages.
Minnesota’s two pari-mutuel facilities offer card games but are currently legally prohibited from providing slot machines of any sort.
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Main: Slot Machine Casino Gambling, State-By-State
- Previous: Michigan Slot Machine Casino Gambling 2017 – Michigan slot machine casino gambling consists of three casinos in Detroit and 22 tribal casinos throughout the state. Michigan tribal casinos are a thriving business, and many major expansion projects are underway throughout the state. The popular Caesars Windsor is located across the Canadian border from Detroit.
- Next: Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling 2017 – Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 28 riverboat casinos and three American Indian tribal casinos. Payout return statistics are fully provided by state region, commercial casino property, machine denomination, and further separated by whether they are progressive versus non-progressive style machines.
