Lottery funds could help finance new Vikings stadium

The issue of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings certainly has gained some heat, especially since the Metrodome roof collapse after a major December snowstorm. And, the stadium fight might get even more heated as it was discovered today (Feb 10, 2011) that the Metrodome roof will need to be replaced; not merely repaired.

Of course, with the possibility of a new stadium, and a price tag that could easily top $1 billion, the question remains: how should the stadium be paid for? With the Vikings committing to paying 1/3 of an open-air facility, and the Minnesota Legislature considering the benefits of a more usable stadium with a roof that isn't just open for 10 games, the discussions seem to go on.

Today, it was learned that the Vikings' scratch-off lottery game, that was introduced last year, just before training camp started, generated $12 million in revenue; and was the highest earning lottery game in the state of Minnesota. The issue of using gambling dollars to help pay for a new stadium has been debated before as well; including installing slot machines at a horse racing track.

Using gambling dollars has also met skepticism and total opposition. Minnesota governor Mark Dayton supports a new stadium for the Vikings, but is concerned about the use of lottery dollars. And, sometimes, in cases where lottery dollars have been used as a revenue source to build a new stadium, it sometimes falls short.

When Seattle was building Safeco Field, the home of MLB's Mariners, the state lottery board introduced specially-themed lottery games, the revenues from which would help build the $522 million stadium. The deal was, that the lottery games had to produce $54 million over a 20 year period (the lottery games are expected to end in 2015). However, in the first year of the lottery game, the revenue fell about $740,000 short. Baltimore also used lottery proceeds as part of the financing package for their new stadium.

An argument for using lottery revenue is that only those who buy the lottery tickets would be the ones paying for the stadium. However, depending on how well the team plays could also affect lottery ticket sales. The Vikings are the second Minnesota sports team to introduce a lottery game; the Minnesota Twins introduced a scratch-off game last year to celebrate the opening of their new ballpark, Target Field. Proceeds from that lottery game did not, however, go towards the cost of Target Field.