My wife and I can live pretty much wherever we like and we choose to continue to live on the far edge of Minnesota. This, of course, is a source of never-ending bemusement to our far-flung friends and family. For the most part we like it here. The water and politics are clean (although there was a scandal earlier this year when one of our state representatives fell off the wagon, went on a drinking binge, and threatened suicide with a BB gun while careening about the metro ’ suburbs with his cell phone plastered to his ear—true story). Crime is low. The lakes are both plentiful and gorgeous and it’s a good environment for writers. We keep saying this is going to be our last year here, but then spring comes and we quickly forget how horrendous Minnesota winters can be. For a good taste of what Minnesota is like, go see Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest film: Fargo. You’ll think it’s an exaggeration, but it’s not. You betcha.
Minnesota has its quirks. Take our approach to gambling, for instance. We have enormous gambling casinos owned by the Indians. Every year there’s talk of taxing them, but every year common sense and Scandinavian guilt kick in and we sheepishly put our collective hands back in our own pockets, kick our shoes in the dirt, and realize that we’ve done a pretty good job of screwing the Indians for generations and it’s best to let this slide. This Scandinavian guilt is a Big Deal here. There’s a saying that Minnesota is the land where everything that isn’t forbidden is mandatory. And that pretty much sums up the state’s attitude toward most everything.
We enjoy above average Internet connectivity in Minnesota, probably because the politicians are only now figuring out that this is something that could be a) taxed and/or b) regulated and/or c) mandated and/or d) forbidden.
The Minnesota attorney general’s office recently decided that it was worth its while to spend our money to go after one of the first casinos in cyberspace: WagerNet. Not because it might encroach on the Indians’ gambling franchise. Not because sports books are illegal in Minnesota. The Minnesota attorney general intends to prosecute WagerNet for false advertising. The Minnesota attorney general’s office wants WagerNet to display a disclaimer that sports betting is illegal in Minnesota in big bold letters on the WagerNet Web site. Never mind that there’s already a prominent disclaimer on the home page: “NOTE: PLEASE CONSULT YOUR LOCAL, COUNTY, AND STATE AUTHORITIES REGARDING RESTRICTIONS ON OFF-SHORE SPORTS BETTING VIA TELEPHONE BEFORE REGISTERING WITH WAGERNET” The Minnesota attorney general’s office is just trying to protect us from ourselves, you understand.
But WagerNet doesn’t exist in Minnesota. WagerNet is based in Nevada. Sort of. WagerNet’s server is located in Belize. But that’s the thing about cyberspace—there’s no there there. What’s more, WagerNet isn’t even operational yet so it’s hard to explain that it exists anywhere.
None of this should be surprising, I suppose, since the Minnesota attorney general’s office is one of the few branches of state government without a Web server.
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