The Blaine City Council unanimously approved an ordinance June 1 allowing lawful gambling organizations to operate at up to five locations in the city.
The change increases the previous limit from four locations per organization. City Clerk Cathy Sorensen said the request came from Blaine Youth Hockey.
As part of the ordinance change, the council also directed staff to remove a waiver provision, leaving applicants limited to Blaine’s trade area. That area includes Circle Pines, Coon Rapids, Ham Lake, Lexington, Lino Lakes, Mounds View, Shoreview and Spring Lake Park.
The proposal drew opposition from two people connected to Spring Lake Park youth sports during the public forum.
Bill Hammes, a member of the Spring Lake Park Youth Hockey board of directors, said his opposition was not about whether Blaine Youth Hockey deserved success.
“The issue before the council tonight is how to preserve opportunities for all charitable gambling organizations that serve Blaine residents,” Hammes said. “Blaine is a growing city with many charitable organizations that depend on charitable gambling revenue to support youth programs, scholarships, community services, veteran organizations and other important causes.”
Hammes said he was concerned that allowing one organization to expand its footprint would make it more difficult for other nonprofits to find opportunities to grow and support their own missions.
The Spring Lake Park school district serves a large geographic area that includes a significant portion of Blaine residents, and many families participate in, volunteer for and support youth hockey in the district.
“Those families deserve the same opportunity to benefit from charitable gambling revenue as families connected to other organizations,” Hammes said. “By increasing the limit from four locations to five, the city will be granting an additional opportunity to an organization that is already one of the largest charitable gambling operators in the region.”
Hammes said smaller organizations, including Spring Lake Park Youth Hockey, could end up competing for fewer available locations.
Council Member Tom Newland said he did not object to increasing the limit from four locations to five, but supported limiting applicants to organizations in the surrounding area.
Newland said a charitable gambling organization may have one site, but that does not mean it can easily add more.
“A lot of that, from my knowledge, is relationship-based,” Newland said. “It’s also a decision that the pull-tab organization makes in conjunction with the business.”
Council Member Chris Massoglia said organizations allowed outside Blaine have included Andover Football and the Ham Lake Chamber of Commerce, in addition to the organization in Mankato. He said he did not have a strong preference on the waiver issue, but supported allowing up to five locations.
Council Member Jess Robertson said the issue was not clear-cut because both Blaine Youth Hockey and Spring Lake Park Youth Hockey serve Blaine residents.
“It’s not us picking a side,” Robertson said. “It’s difficult being on this side of the bench. … We’ve had both Blaine Youth Hockey and Spring Lake Park Youth Hockey come to the city asking for money, needing help. And we don’t have a money tree.”
Robertson said Blaine Youth Hockey has built a successful charitable gambling operation, but the council also had to consider whether increasing the limit would disadvantage other organizations.
“You sit up here again trying to be the United Nations and Switzerland, and you say, OK, if I give five to Blaine Youth Hockey, does that disadvantage Spring Lake Park Youth Hockey?” Robertson said.