A Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed an earlier ruling, allowing the Running Aces Casino Hotel Racetrack to offer dealer-assist table games, despite earlier complaints by tribal authorities.
Local Tribe Was Displeased with Dealer-Assist Games
Three years ago, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community filed a lawsuit against Running Aces Casino Hotel Racetrack, asserting that its dealer-assisted table games violated Minnesota’s tribal exclusivity on electronic gaming.
For context, dealer-assisted machines allow players to join a table game via machines that are usually arranged in a stadium-like format. While cards and dice are still managed by a live dealer, players interact with the game via a terminal that displays the game.
This format has several benefits, including automatic payout calculations and a higher degree of privacy. It is also very useful for newer players who might feel uncomfortable or pressured on a more traditional casino table.
However, the electronic elements utilized by the machines irked the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux, who insisted that the machines were illegal and sought to take them down.
The Supreme Court’s Stalemate Favors Running Aces
Despite the tribe’s claims, however, a lower Court of Appeals ended up siding with Running Aces. According to that decision, dealer-assist gaming did not constitute electronic gambling. This prompted the tribe to involve the Minnesota Supreme Court, which also weighed in on the matter.
Supreme Court officials, however, were divided on the matter, with three members voting in favor of the previous decision and another three voting against it. One member refrained from voting due to her participation in the earlier Court of Appeals decision.
The stalemate means that there will be no opinion released, effectively affirming the lower court’s ruling that dealer-assist does not equal electronic gaming.
This outcome was welcomed by Running Aces, which emphasized that the dealer-assist format is crucial to allowing people who wish to play without social pressures to enjoy table games.
At the same time, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, since it believes that the racino’s games violate tribal exclusivity.
