Minnesota Casinos: The Great Indoor Adventures

Minnesota is known as the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. It is a diverse state that boasts of its natural resources, cultural attractions and a thriving economy. Ranked as the Most Livable State, it has a population of more than 5 million with a total land area of 79,610 square miles. The state capital of Saint Paul has a population of 280,000 is closest to Minneapolis along the Mississippi River. These two cities are also known as the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

The many casinos of Minnesota are either situated on the Native American Tribal Land or under the Native American authority. There are 22 tribal-state policies for the casinos in Minnesota that permits the games of blackjack, craps, slots and video gaming machines. There are also specific tribal conformities that allow bingo and poker.

The largest Minnesota casino is the Mystic Lake Casino located in Prior Lake. It is 125000 square feet, with 84 table games, 4000 slots, 4 restaurants and a hotel. Another large casino is the Treasure Island Resort and Casino located in Welch. It has area of 116000 square feet, with 44 table games, 2500 slots, 7 restaurants and a fairly small hotel.

The Jackpot Junction located in Morton is another popular casino in the state of Minnesota. It has 80000 square feet of gambling area with 28 table games, 1650 slots, 9 restaurants and 2 hotels. There are 2 casinos in the city of Onamia: the Grand Casino Hinckley has 54800 square feet of gambling area with 47 table games, 2170 slots, 6 restaurants and 4 hotels; and the Grande Casino Mille Lacs with an area of 54800 square feet, it has 24 table games, 1885 slots, 5 restaurants and 2 hotels.

Minnesota also has smaller casinos such as the Fortune Bay Resort Casino in the city of Tower that has 50000 square feet gambling area, 12 table games and 686 slots; the Northern Lights Casino located in Walker has 40000 square feet of area, 12 table games and 950 slots; the Fond-du-Luth Casino in the city of Duluth has an area of 20000 square feet, 4 table games and 745 slots; a much smaller casino, the Prairie Edge Casino Resort with an area of 27000 square feet, 6 table games and 660 slots.

There are no tax revenues collected by the state of Minnesota from all of its casinos. These establishments pay fees to the state government in accordance to the tribal agreement and to compensate for the inspections.

The natural beauty of Minnesota attracts more visitors that add up to the ever-growing economy of this state. But with expansion and continued support from the local government, the future of the casino industry would be much brighter for the state of Minnesota.