Minnesota Casinos and Gambling

Short Summary: On this page, we break down the state of all of the different forms of gambling in Minnesota, potential new legislation that will authorize sports betting and explore the live and online casino options available to players.

Minnesota is known as “The Gopher State” and the “Land of 1,000 Lakes.” In addition to the natural beauty of the region, the state is also celebrated for its high standard of living and quality of education.

The State of Minnesota is one of the more conservative ones when it comes to gambling. There are a number of Tribal Casinos in the state, but there are currently no licensed and regulated Commercial Casinos, at least, not exactly.

We say not exactly because the two horse racing tracks in the state, Canterbury Park and Running Aces, are authorized to offer poker and certain table games, but are not permitted to have slot machines.

In addition to the Tribal Casinos and the horse tracks in the state, there are a number of other forms of legalized gambling available:

The Minnesota Gaming Control Board is tasked with handling the regulation of charitable (known in the state as non-profit) gambling. In addition to licensing costs and other fees associated with non-profit gaming, the Gaming Control Board also levies a tax of 0.1% of all gambling-related gross receipts. Gross receipts would just refer to all bets made, rather than actual gambling revenues, but even then, that’s a pretty small percentage. The vast majority of non-profit revenues come by way of pull tabs, but there are a number of other forms of gambling available for non-profit purposes. You can read here for more information.

The Minnesota Lottery is not affiliated with the national Powerball and Mega Millions drawings and that is probably a mistake. The Minnesota Lottery, at least according to their 2018 report, Is probably one of the only ones in the country to operate at a loss.

Some 73.72% of total lottery sales are driven by instant tickets, with the bulk of the remainder coming from the state’s drawing games, such as Pick-3. Total lottery prizes were in the amount of $370,624,524 with $276,305,774 coming from scratch tickets and $94,318,750 coming from, “Lotto Games,” (Drawing); conversely, total sales were $411,165,885 in scratch tickets, and $185,311,683 in lotto tickets with total sales of $596,477,568.

The result is that the return-to-player of scratch games was 67.2% on scratch tickets and 50.9% on lotto tickets for a combined 62.14% return-to-player. Again, that average is because the sale of scratch tickets vastly exceeded the sale of drawing tickets. Why the Minnesota lottery does not participate in Mega Millions and Powerball is beyond my comprehension.

The total of $225,853,044 lost by lottery players in the state, based on an estimated population of 5,611,000 in 2018, comes out to about $40.25 in losses per resident, which is extremely low for a state lottery. The returns on the games held within the state are basically average, but the lottery would likely perform much better with Mega Millions and Powerball, as they are the driving force behind the revenues of many state lotteries.

It appears that the State of Minnesota does not impose any fees or taxes on its Tribal Casinos, so it is very difficult to determine the revenue for those.

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The Legality Of Online Gambling In Minnesota

Update (Dec 22): According to Total Packers (and verified elsewhere) there was a bill in the Minnesota House to legalize sports betting through the state’s Tribal Casinos. This bill would apply to both in-person wagering as well as online wagering, but despite reports to the contrary, has not actually passed.

According to Bookies, the primary hangup with the bill is that it would also allow the state’s racetracks to offer sports betting directly, which is a facet of the bill that the Tribes opposed, perhaps unsurprisingly.

It’s difficult to say what the next bill will have in store, but the Tribes, in my opinion, should stand down if the bill is going to enable them to have online sports betting across the entire state. Naturally, they might have to compete with the state’s racetracks for customers, but that certainly must be better than sports betting remaining illegal, and therefore, simply not having any customers.

In the meantime, a quick reading of the legislation would indicate that it was exclusive to sports betting and had nothing to do with online casino-style games or poker, so as with several other states, we expect that it could be several years before online casino products, at least those that are regulated by your state, become legal.

Fortunately, there are already several online casinos perfectly happy to accept the patronage of the denizens of Minnesota, so you can find a few of our top recommendations above!

There is currently no licensed and regulated form of online casino gambling in the State of Minnesota. The closest thing to online gambling (not that close) is that the state’s two horse racing tracks currently have Legislation in the early stages to allow them to conduct sports betting activities. The current wording of the legislation would also allow them to do this online, but even if the full Legislature votes on the bill this year, it’s possible that those provisions are removed and only live sports betting will remain on the table.

From this article:

Minnesota’s 11 federally recognized tribes have opposed expansion of off-reservation gambling for over two decades, and oppose the new effort. John McCarthy, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, said gambling is the only successful economic development tool the tribes have ever had.
He said authorizing online gaming via mobile devices “would be the largest expansion of gambling in Minnesota in more than a quarter century” and would likely lead to legalization of further internet gaming.

Of course, while this is true, it’s possible that the full Legislature decides only to allow for in-person sports betting or that the bill does not advance at all.

In the meantime, it is classified as a Misdemeanor in the state for a person to, “Make a bet,” in a manner not authorized by the state, but that particular misdemeanor does not seem to carry any actual penalties.

As opposed to the Gross Misdemeanors that could befall those engaging in gambling in the context of an operator, gambling online by itself does not seem to carry with it any penalties for those who are acting merely as players. Even if it did, the probability of getting caught is virtually nonexistent and we have not been able to uncover any examples in Minnesota, or anywhere else for that matter, of people facing adverse legal consequences for gambling online as mere players.

Either way, first this bill is going to need to pass before Minnesotans could expect any chance of fully licensed and regulated online gambling.

Land Casinos In Minnesota

For the purposes of this page, we will go ahead and classify the horse tracks as casinos since they are permitted to offer live poker and certain other table games. As we stated before, these entities are not permitted to offer slots, video poker, video keno or other types of casino gambling. We will list the horse tracks first to be followed by the Tribal Casinos:

Canterbury Park

Located in Shakopee, MN, Canterbury Park is a horse racing track as well as a partial casino offering live poker and some table games. The property, originally known as Canterbury Downs, features a one-mile dirt track and opened in 1985, though under different ownership.

Simulcast Race betting is available daily from 10:00a-10:00p while live racing is conducted mostly on Thursdays-Sundays between May-September with certain holiday dates also hosting live racing. In addition to horse racing, the property occasionally hosts Corgi races, Weinerdog races and an annual running of the bulldogs.

Live Poker games include Seven-Card Stud, Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha Hi-Lo and tend to be the busiest during live racing season, though it does go year-round. As with most other poker rooms, this poker room also offers tournaments and certain types of promotions during varying hours.

The property has a surprisingly wide assortment of table games available including Blackjack, Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Pokerlette (Roulette using cards), I Luv Suits, Face Up Pai Gow Poker, Criss Cross Poker and a couple of Blackjack variants. If you are looking for games besides blackjack, it’s probably a good idea to call ahead and see what times and days your table of choice is open because we seriously doubt they spread all of these games during all of their operating hours.

The property hosts a number of non-gambling events, including concerts, with an event schedule that can be found here.

The property is not home to a hotel, but is home to more eateries than one might expect including the Little Chicago Chophouse, Triple Crown Buffet, Triple Crown Restaurant, Trifecta Cafe, Pizza and Pasta, Canterbury Cantina, Canterbury Classics, Home Stretch, Pub Grub and an ice cream stand. I’d suggest that’s a pretty impressive assortment of choices given the size of the property.

There are also no fewer than six bars and pubs located in and around the property.

Running Aces Casino Hotel and Racetrack

Having opened in 2008, Running Aces Hotel, Casino and Racetrack is a card casino and a horse racing track featuring a 5/8ths mile harness racing. Live racing takes place generally on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from June-September with a few other racing dates (mostly in conjunction with holidays) sprinkled in between. As with Canterbury Park, simulcast betting and the card games are available around the calendar.

Featured table games at the property include Blackjack, EZ Baccarat, Mississippi Stud, Three-Card Poker, Four-Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em and Pai-Gow Poker. They also have the game called I Love Suits. For games other than Blackjack, we recommend calling ahead for typical operating hours as they may not offer the less common games around the clock.

The property appears to be home to only one eatery known as Trout Air Tavern. Other forms of entertainment include fishing, Saturday concerts and other one-off events around the calendar.

The property, as with Canterbury Park, is not home to a hotel of its own.

Black Bear Casino Resort

Owned and operated by the Fon Du Lac Band of Superior Chippewa and located in Carlton, Minnesota, the Black Bear Casino Resort is a property that features a hotel as well as a golf course.

The property boasts of 1,800 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines, which would make it on par with the offerings of casinos in many major markets. According to their website, denominations range from pennies to dollars. Table games operate from noon until four in the morning and include Blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em and Three-Card Poker. If they offer any carnival games besides those, they do not make it a point to list them on their website.

Live Bingo is hosted from Wednesday-Sunday and pull tabs are available for sale at a separately located pull-tab booth, which is the first we’ve heard of that!

In addition to the golf course, the property is also home to the Aurora Arcade, which does what it says on the box and is for all ages.

In total, the property is home to five eateries, which includes the one at the golf course. These eateries are the Seven Fires Steakhouse, Buffet at the Bear, Sage Deli and Black Bear Coffee Shop, with the lattermost two being for casual eats and snacks. The eatery at the golf course is a bar and grill named, appropriately enough, Golf Course Bar & Grill.

The property features a hotel consisting of an impressive 408 guestrooms and suites which includes flat-screen TV’s and complimentary wireless internet. Guests of the hotel may also enjoy the 25X50 indoor pool, the two hot tubs, the sauna and the fitness room.

The Otter Creek Event Center holds concerts, which include national acts, while the Cobalt Nightclub and Cabaret is open daily and often features various forms of live entertainment. Meeting, wedding and reception catering and event planning is also available at the property.

Overall, the size and scope of this property makes it one of the better destination properties in Minnesota and we couldn’t imagine a better place to spend a weekend!

Fond-du-luth Casino

This casino is also owned and operated by the Fond Du Lac Band of Superior Chippewa Indians and is located in Duluth, MN, hence the play on the town’s name and tribe’s name in the casino’s name. This property is located in Downtown Duluth and is substantially smaller than the Big Bear Casino, but it is a nice place even with that.

The gaming offerings are similarly limited as the property consists of only 650 combined slots, video poker and video keno games. The casino also offers blackjack tables during select hours. The website states that Blackjack runs from noon to 4:00 a.m.

There are no actual restaurants on this property, and no food whatsoever mentioned on the website, but we called and determined that the property’s bar serves typical bar fare, wings and pizza. Obviously, this property has no hotel of its own, but there are plenty of accommodations elsewhere in Duluth.

Long story short, this is a casino that is pretty strictly a locals’ place, nothing to travel for, but probably worth a stop if you like slots and are in Duluth anyway.

Fortune Bay Resort Casino

Located in Tower, MN, the Fortune Bay Resort Casino, like Big Bear, is also home to its own hotel and golf course. It’s not quite the size of Big Bear, but there is still plenty to do.

The property is home to 173 guestrooms and suites as well as an RV Park and marina. The hotel is home to an indoor pool as well as a wading pool for the youngsters. Guests will also enjoy the property’s fitness room and sauna. The property also houses an arcade for the kids as well as the Whispering Winds Gift Shop.

There are five eateries on this property which include the Sunset Steakhouse, Tamarack Buffet, North Star Bar, Gold MIne Grill and Wilderness Grill. In addition to golf and the marina, there are a number of outdoor activities at the property including snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing. It’s not only a good destination around the clock, but also around the calendar!

Table games consist of Blackjack, Three-Card Poker, Mississippi Stud and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em with varying hours of operation available on their website. Ranging in denomination from pennies to $5.00, the property now boasts a total of over 800 slot machines.

This is a strong choice for a weekend destination no matter what month the calendar says, especially for the outdoorsy type as the casino is not even the main thing promoted by the property. Arrive on Friday and by Monday morning, you’re sure to be wondering where the time went!

Grand Casino Hinckley

The Grand Casino Hinckley is a casino and hotel located, unsurprisingly, in Hinckley, Minnesota. The property is owned and operated by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures.

This property is also home to a stand for the purchase of pull tabs, which now makes the second time ever I have heard of that happening in a casino. The property is also home to a bingo room that operates during certain hours of the day.

We encourage anyone searching this casino not to get confused; there is no poker room at this property. The website for this casino is for both this location and their Grand Casino Mille Lacs and that is the casino with the poker room.

The Grand Casino Hinckley boasts over 2,100 combined slots, video poker and video keno machines with over 900 of those being progressive machines. Denominations range all the way from pennies to $25, so the machines should be sure to satisfy you regardless of the size of your bankroll! The property is home to 22 Blackjack tables as well as Three-Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em.

Upcoming entertainment options can be found here.

The hotel is home to 563 guestrooms and suites and provides its guests access to the indoor pool and raised whirlpool. Additionally, wireless internet is complimentary for hotel guests and the property is also home to a fitness center. This property is also home to a spa as well as a golf course.

Dining options include The Grille House, The Grand Buffet, Provisions to Go, Rival House (which also includes an arcade and bowling alley), Sweet Spot, Corner Bean and The Winds Steakhouse for fine dining. Bars include Silver Sevens as well as the 411 Craft Bar.

As with the other similarly sized Minnesota properties, this one offers a wide variety of activities suitable for all ages, making this a great destination whether you are travelling alone, as a couple or as a family with kids. It’s a very easy place to burn a weekend.

Grand Casino Mille Lacs

The Grand Casino Mille Lacs, as you might expect, is also owned and operated by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe’s Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures. This property is named after the county, rather than the city and is located in Onamia.

As with the other Grand Casino, pull tabs and bingo are available during select hours. One difference between the two casinos is that the Grand Casino Mille Lacs is also home to a poker room, so it might make for a better destination if Texas Hold ‘Em is more your game of choice.

The gaming floor is slightly smaller at this casino, but still substantial, with over 1,800 slots, video poker and video keno machines ranging in denomination from pennies to fives. There are sixteen blackjack tables at this property, but more varied table games overall, with Mississippi Stud, Three-Card Poker, Four-Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em. The Rivers’ Edge Poker Room deals Seven-Card Stud, Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha.

The property states that it is the largest hotel-casino in the Lake Counties area with 494 guestrooms and suites. It provides its guests with complimentary wireless internet as well as an Oversized swimming pool and jacuzzi (that can accommodate up to 20 people) with a waterfall. There are a few outlet stores on the property and the fitness center is open around the clock.

There is also an arcade, four screen movie theater, childcare available and complimentary dog kennels, if those are needed.

Dining options include 1991 Kitchen, The Buffet, Brand Burger Bar, Plums (grab and go), and Grand Cup & Cone. The main bar is the Up North Bar and occasionally features live entertainment.

As with the other Grand property, this is a great weekend destination for you and anyone you might be travelling with.

Grand Portage Lodge and Casino

The Grand Portage Lodge and Casino is located in Hovland, MN and is owned and operated by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. This property features a casino as well as a hotel for visitors to the area and locals alike looking for a staycation.

The property is home to over 450 slot machines and I assume video poker and keno, though their website gives no information in that regard. The website lists Blackjack as the only table game and says it is, “Unlike anywhere in the state,” the only thing that I can see unlike anything else is that Blackjack is the only table game offered.

The hotel is home to a lodge featuring more traditional hotel rooms, but there are also cabins available as well as an RV Park. In addition to that, the property is home to a pool and fitness center. Dining choices consist of the Island View (casual) and the casino deli (grab and go). The Antlers Lounge is open daily from 11:30 a.m. and also serves bar food.

Overall, this is a place really just meant for locals and people who happen to be passing through the area for some other reason. It is not a destination casino by any stretch of the imagination.

Jackpot Junction Hotel Casino

This property, located in Morton, Minnesota, is home to a forty pace RV Park as well as a hotel consisting of 379 guestrooms and suites. It is owned and operated by the Lower Sioux Indian Community and also boasts a golf course designed by Rees Jones.

The property was originally opened just as a bingo hall and expanded from there, later adding slot machines and table games. Bingo is still offered every day except Wednesday with hours that can be found here:

And, pull tabs are also sold at this casino. The pull tabs must be really popular in Minnesota.

The property is home to over 1,200 slots, video poker and video keno machines on its sizable gaming floor. Table Games include Blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Three-Card Poker and Free Bet Blackjack. We would recommend calling ahead to determine the usual hours for your table of choice if you like anything other than blackjack.

Hotel amenities include a pool, arcade, business center, fitness center and complimentary guest wireless internet.

Eateries include Dacotah Restaurant, Players Sports Bar and Grill, Wabasha Creek Restaurant, Caribou Coffee, 2Go Food Express and the Circle Bar also has some light eats available. The entertainment section of the website does not list anything at this time, so you should probably call ahead if you’re looking for live entertainment.

While this property may not be as sizable as the other casino resort properties with golf courses, they don’t skimp on the amenities and it sounds like a great place to spend a weekend.

Little Six Casino

Located in Prior Lake, Minnesota (well, not IN the lake) the Little Six Casino is owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. The owners of this property also own the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

The casino advertises on its website that its slots have 95% payback, but there is nothing noting any agency verifying that claim, what that claim is based on or whether or not video poker numbers are included in that claim. Blackjack is the only table game.

There is a combined restaurant and bar called the Little Six Casino Restaurant.

Ultimately, this is just a small sister casino to Mystic Lake.

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel

The Mystic Lake Casino Hotel is also located in Prior Lake, Minnesota and is also owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. This property is more sizable and greater in scope than is the Little Six Casino. The property is home to a hotel consisting of over 700 guestrooms and suites, three ballrooms, a smaller conference room and several meeting rooms. Additionally, there is a golf course located on the property.

There is a sizable slots floor complete with a high-limit room, but their website makes no mention of total machine counts or denominations available, so neither will we. Other gaming options include bingo, pull tabs, Blackjack and electronic roulette.

The hotel features complimentary wireless internet for guests as well as a free shuttle to the Mall of America. The hotel is home to a fitness center, sauna, indoor pool and whirlpool as well as a business center. According to their website, they have well over 700 total rooms, but I’m not sure if they are referring to the entire property or just the part that connects to the casino, I suspect the latter.

Eateries include the Mystic Steakhouse, The Buffet, Minnehaha Cafe, Sweet Temptations, Gamblers Grille, Fusion Noodle Bar, Mystic Deli, Caribou Coffee and The Meadows Bar and Grille. There are an additional half dozen or so bars and lounges throughout the property.

Upcoming events can be found here.

Basically, this seems pretty similar to the other large golf course casinos located throughout the State of Minnesota, though the website made no mention of arcades or bowling alleys, so this property may not be as much for the whole family as others.

Northern Lights Casino

Located in Walker, MN, the Northern Lights Casino is owned and operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. The website doesn’t give much in the way of specifics other than they offer slots, blackjack and poker, so neither will we.

The hotel consists of guestrooms and suites, but again, the website offers little to no further information in that regard.

Eateries include Dancing Fire, North Star Buffet, Shingobee, Little Star Snack Bar and River of Stars Cabaret.

Palace Casino and Hotel

The Palace Casino and Hotel is located in Kelliher, MN and is owned and operated by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. It is located near Cass Lake.

The property actually closed on July 22nd, 2019 in favor of the Cedar Lakes Casino Hotel. Since the ownership is the same, we will list them immediately below:

Cedar Lakes Casino Hotel

(This spot will be filled when the casino opens in August)

Prairie’s Edge Casino Resort

Located in Granite Falls, MN and owned and operated by the Upper Sioux Community, this property is home to a hotel, RV Park, casino and several restaurants.

The casino consists of over 1,000 slot machines as well as table games which include Blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Silverado Stud Poker, electronic (virtual) roulette and virtual blackjack. The casino actually gives a good sampling of individual game offerings on its website.

Dining options include Firefly Lounge, Wotapi Deli and Meadows Buffet. Additionally, the property is home to a convention center as well as a comedy club with regularly scheduled entertainment. The hotel consists of 160 rooms and, according to the website, all rooms come with a fridge, microwave and complimentary wireless internet. Other amenities include an indoor pool, wading pool, hot tub, sauna and fitness center.

This might not be the size of other casinos in the state, but it seems like a decent place for a single person or a couple to spend a weekend if they are in the area. It’s something between a staycation place for locals or maybe a weekend destination if it’s a short drive.

Seven Clans Casinos

There are three casinos that go by the Seven Clans moniker and they are located in Warroad, Thief River Falls and Red Lake. We’ll handle them all at once in this section because they would follow one another alphabetically anyway.

The company is known as Red Lake Gaming Enterprises and the Thief River Falls property is home to a waterpark consisting of four large and four small waterslides.

Let’s go ahead and address the casino offerings individually:

Thief River Falls: This casino features over 650 combined slots, video keno and video poker machines as well as Blackjack tables which are open during certain hours.

Red Lake: 325 video poker, slot and video keno games with bingo on Sundays.

Warroad: Over 600 combined machines as well as blackjack and live poker.

Let’s do the same for hotels:

Thief River Falls: The hotel consists of several guestrooms and suites as well as being home to the aforementioned waterpark and an arcade. The 151 guestrooms and suites also include complimentary wireless internet and the property is home to a gift shop.

Red Lake: This property has a pool, hot tub, complimentary internet and the hotel is entirely non-smoking.

Warroad: This hotel is also completely non-smoking and states that it has free copy, fax and printing, though I assume there are reasonableness limits as far as that is concerned. This hotel also has a 24 hour fitness room and spa.

Here are the eateries:

Thief River Falls: River Road Cafe, Triple Sevens Walk-Up Eatery
Red Lake: Warriors Grill and a snack bar.
Warroad: The Willows and Cattail Cafe.

Shooting Star Casino

The Shooting Star Casino is located in Mahomen, MN and is owned and operated by the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

In addition to its bingo hours, the property is home to over 1,100 combined video poker, slot and video keno machines. The poker room spreads Seven Card Stud, Omaha and Texas Hold ‘Em starting at noon on weekends and Mondays as well as 6:00 p.m. until close Tuesday-Thursday. Table games include Blackjack and a variety of Blackjack variants, Let it Ride, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, Three-Card Poker and Pai Gow Poker. Hours for individual games may vary, so we suggest calling ahead.

The hotel consists of 386 rooms and 24 suites with internet access as well as an indoor pool and hot tub. The property is also home to Serenitee Spa, which features a full complement of spa services at varying prices. Dining options include 2 One 8, Traditions Buffet, Smoke BBQ and Brew, Mino Wiisini and the property is also home to a liquor store and convenience store.

This doesn’t seem to have quite the amenities of some of the others, but is probably a solid place for locals and passers-through the area. Unlike the other properties, the bulk of the emphasis seems to be on the casino offerings.

Treasure Island Resort and Casino

The Treasure Island Resort and Casino is owned and operated by the Prairie Island Indian Community and is located in Welch, Minnesota.

The casino is home to over 2,200 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines. Additionally, electronic roulette is also available on the gaming floor. The property sells pull tabs and operates bingo during certain hours. Table Games include Blackjack, High Card Flush, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, EZ Baccarat, Pai-Gow Poker and Crazy 4 Poker. We recommend calling ahead for operating hours for the less common games as they may not run during all table games hours. There is also a poker room that hosts occasional tournaments.

The website does not list the hotel’s room count, but we do know that the property offers staycation packages, play and stay packages, golf packages and waterpark packages. The waterpark is known as The Lagoon. Childcare services are available and the property is also home to bowling lanes and an arcade. The Wave Spa features a wide variety of services at varying costs.

Dining options include Tado Steakhouse, Currents Restaurant and Tradewinds Buffet.

There are nine bars and lounges across the entire property with varying entertainment options. There is also a large entertainment venue that features nationally known acts on occasion.

The bottom line is this is one of the better choices whether travelling alone, as a couple or with a family as it offers the full complement of amenities and things to do that one would expect from a true resort.

White Oak Casino

This casino is located in Deer River, MN and is owned and operated by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Gaming consists of slots (and presumably video poker and video keno) as well as Blackjack. Their website gives very little in the way of details. There is a bar on the property and the eatery is the White Oak Cafe.

Basically, this is a small casino primarily for locals.

Poker in Minnesota

Poker is legal within the borders of the state, but you won’t find any cardrooms dedicated solely to the game. There are certainly some under-the-radar locations operating without the knowledge of authorities, but official sites are either inside casinos or at one of the state’s racetracks.

Slot Machine Ownership in Minnesota

If you want to own a slot machine in Minnesota, you’ll be delighted to know that the laws are as liberal as they come. While most states restrict owners to machines that are at least a couple of decades old, there are no such rules in “The North Star State.” Machines can be right off the floor of a casino, although owners are still prohibited from using them to make a profit.

Conclusion And Prognosis

There doesn’t seem to be anything in the pipeline by way of licensing and regulating slots, video poker and video keno for the two horse tracks in the state. The only currently proposed legislation relating to regulated land casinos consists of a sports betting bill that would apply to the two horse tracks, and in its current form, would enable them to offer online sports betting.

As far as full online casino gambling is concerned, we will just have to wait and see on that one. Presumably, this will become more likely in the event that the state authorizes the horse tracks to offer online sports betting, but that remains to be seen.