Minnesota House GOPer Puts Out Vikings Proposal

ST. PAUL  (AP) - A Republican state lawmaker has introduced a bill to build a new Vikings stadium in Ramsey County and pay for it with tax money raised by authorizing electronic bingo games and pull-tabs in bars and restaurants.

Representative Rod Hamilton of Mountain Lake filed his bill Wednesday. He has not previously been involved in stadium negotiations at the state Capitol, though his bill is similar to the Arden Hills proposal the Vikings and Ramsey County had been pushing for most of the last year.

That proposal has recently been abandoned as stadium negotiations re-focused on rebuilding at or near the current Metrodome site.

Hamilton's bill would have the stadium built on the same Arden Hills land as previously proposed. The stadium would have a roof, 65,000 seats and would open by 2016.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved)