Concerns Raised Over Funding For New Vikings Stadium

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota state lawmakers are wading back into details of the Vikings stadium project as concerns build about the reliability of tax revenue from gambling to pay the state's share.

Tuesday saw the first meeting of a new House-Senate panel charged with oversight of Minnesota's publicly funded sports facilities. That includes the $975 million, downtown Minneapolis football stadium with an October groundbreaking and a hoped-for 2016 opening.

But members of the panel raised concerns about shortfalls so far in tax revenue from an electronic gambling expansion. Rep. Jim Davnie of Minneapolis says lawmakers need to know before they adjourn in May whether the funding setup needs major adjustments.
The chairwoman of the state's stadium authority says costs so far are being covered with a $50 million initial payment from the Vikings.