'Tis the season for different proposals for the next legislative session (even-numbered years are given over to the biennial budget). Now it's a proposal to use a casino to fund Hope scholarships. The first choice for location would be near the Mall of America. The plan faces stiff opposition from the Indian reservation casinos (there are 18 in Minnesota) as well as Governor Pawlenty. The revenue estimates are overstated as well, according to a well-known expert on the economics of casinos. Debate over casinos in Minnesota has been ongoing and this is only one of many proposals of using gambling revenues to fund state projects.