Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux give away nearly $30 million?

The casino riches gathered in by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community went back out the door to the tune of nearly $30 million last year, the tribe announced last week.

The $28.7 million total for the tribe's fiscal year ending last fall is almost identical to that of the previous year, marking a continued plateau in giving after a number of years of growth.

While it's well under the peak of $40 million in a single year late last decade, the tribe says that was not a normal giving year but rather a one-time bubble caused by its decision to give $12 million to the University of Minnesota to help build its football stadium and fund scholarships.