Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday that a casino near the Mall of America in Bloomington, which he considered during the campaign, will not be part of his budget solution.
He will release the budget, which must fill in a $6.2 billion deficit, on Feb. 15.
"I don't expect to have any gaming in my budget," Dayton said.
During the campaign, Dayton, a Democrat, floated the idea of placing a state-operated casino at or near the Mall of America to help close the budget gap. In his plan released in September counted on $300 million from a new casino.
Dayton said he has been spending hours on the budget every day -- six hours Tuesday he said and another six planned Wednesday, figuring out how to fill in the $6.2 billion hole.
"It's just a very challenging process," he said.
