A bill introduced in the House this week seeks a 50-50 tribal and state split on revenues generated from a casino in a yet-to-be determined location in the metro-area. Tribal leaders and other advocates introduced the proposal at a Capitol news conference on Thursday.

Fearing that next year’s legislative session would be complicated by another budget deficit, Gov. Mark Dayton spent much of the fall pressing legislative leaders to cobble together enough votes to pass a publicly funded stadium for the Minnesota Vikings by Thanksgiving.

A steady downpour didn’t keep Indian gambling workers from flocking outside the state Capitol in St. Paul last April. At least 1,500 people gathered outside on the building’s steps, some arriving by the busload from reservations hours away. Clad in raincoats and shielded by a canopy of umbrellas, workers thrust signs into the air that read, “Rural jobs count too” and “Don’t gamble with my job!”