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Split Supreme Court Allows Minnesota Racetrack to Continue Offering Dealer-Assist Games
The Running Aces Casino Hotel Racetrack has leave to keep offering electronic card games after the state's Supreme Court left a favorable ruling intact.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling on the legality of dealer-assist electronic card games at racetracks in the state. The decision does not answer the question of the legality of the games, but nonetheless means that an immediate challenge to the gaming type in the state has failed to produce the result that the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community sought.
Minnesota Supreme Court fails to reach opinion on dealer-assist games at racetracks
The Jan. 21 ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court doesn't give an opinion on whether the games in question in the lawsuit fit within the confines of what state law allows at racetracks. The appellate court ruled that the games are permissible, but the Supreme Court decision only upholds that lower-court ruling.
The Minnesota Supreme Court consists of seven justices. However, Justice Theodora Gaitas recused herself from this case because she was involved in the appellate court decision.
The six remaining justices were split on the Matter of the Minnesota Racing Commission's Approval of Running Aces Casino, Hotel & Racetrack's Request to Amend its Plan of Operation evenly. That 3-3 split leaves the appellate court decision intact and also means that the dealer-assist card games at Running Aces can continue despite the wishes of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
This contention between commercial and tribal gaming interests is an example of what legislators will have to navigate if they ever attempt to make room for the top online casinos to enter Minnesota. So far, the interests have been sufficiently contrary to each other to stymie any expansion in the realm of online gaming.
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Dealer-assist games dispute showcases difficulties of gaming expansion in Minnesota
In 2025, legislation involving potential gaming expansion in St. Paul got nowhere. According to Matthew Blake of MinnPost, even a bill that only commissioned a legislative study of the ramifications of legalizing online sports wagering failed to gain necessary traction.
A major point of contention has been the desires of tribal gaming authorities operating within Minnesota's borders to extend their exclusivity to include sports betting. Racetrack operators have desired to be included in the framework.
Tribal exclusivity over electronic gaming was the crux of the arguments in the Matter of the Minnesota Racing Commission's Approval of Running Aces Casino, Hotel & Racetrack's Request to Amend its Plan of Operation. The investment involved in litigating that dispute over a couple of gaming tables at Running Aces demonstrates how dedicated tribal authorities are to the principle.
For that reason, any conversations about legal casino games online in Minnesota are more possible far into the future, if ever. Minnesotans should not expect to be able to redeem bonuses like the PlayStar Casino promo code any time soon. They should also not expect to play at Google Play casinos in the near future.
This Minnesota Supreme Court decision does little to clarify the balance of power between commercial and tribal interests in the state's gaming landscape. For that reason, more litigation may present similar questions to the court in the near future.
Written by Derek Helling
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