For the past two years, much of the discussion in Minnesota has centered on quarterback Brett Favre and his annual vacillation over whether or not he should finally call it quits on his Hall of Fame career. But alongside of that conversation has been an even larger argument concerning a new stadium for the Vikings and how to fund it without foisting the majority of the bill on the state’s taxpayers.

That’s opened the door to all sorts of ideas, including a possible state run casino being built in downtown Minneapolis, and/or possibly a new law to allow for US casino style gambling to take place just outside the Twin Cities at Canterbury Park, a large horse racing venue. Those gambling options would seemingly include roulette, poker, blackjack, and other popular games that can only take place right now within the confines of the tribal casinos that are run on the various Native American reservations scattered throughout the state.

Opponents of the casino option have been vociferous in their arguments against expansion of gambling in Minnesota and they’ve received tremendous support from the influential tribal lobby at the capitol. The tribes feel their profits will dwindle significantly if a casino becomes available so close to home for Minneapolis-St. Paul residents and are pushing hard to keep it off the table as the discussion surrounding the stadium heats up.

But supporters of the measure are close to seeing their plan come to fruition as state representatives have brought the idea to the forefront as a viable option to close the budget gaps in the state and creatively fund a new stadium for the Vikings, preventing them from moving out of state in the near future.

For the time being, the casino option is unlikely to move past the initial phase of being introduced in the state legislature, but as the funds to build a state of the art facility for the Vikings become even more scarce, it’s a very real possibility that a coalition to allow the expansion of gambling in Minnesota will emerge victorious.