Point in Case: Tribal Casinos

Tribal Casinos and other forms of Indian gaming has given modest and impoverished tribal communities a long overdue boost in their struggle to achieve economic growth and equality. The United States only gave the Indians lands they didn’t want for themselves, some without even a decent supply of water or access to main roads or railways. The government and society then acted surprised when they somehow failed to prosper under these tyrannically oppressive restrictions. After countless decades of failed federal policies aimed towards (barely) providing the vaguest attempts to provide economic stimulus to Indian countries, the tribal nations stepped up and did something on their own, federal government be damned.

The enhanced decision-making power of the sovereign tribal nations created an enormous industry by providing legal gaming on their lands, and found a means to increase sustainable economic development on reservations. The policy of Indian self-determination, no matter what the US government thought of it, by way of Indian gaming facilities, has helped many tribes achieve modest (and sometimes more than modest) results towards the ends of improving tribal economies and communities.

History of Tribal Gaming

Large-scale gaming sponsored by tribal governments started in the early 1980’s around the same time state lotteries began to spread across the nation. Relying on fundamental federally permitted Indian law, the Supreme Court ruled that if state laws criminally prohibit a form of gambling, then the tribes within the state may not engage in that activity. However, if state laws civilly regulate a form of gambling, then tribes within the state may engage in that gaming free of state control. So the same lottery system designed to flush the state coffer with tax revenues opened the door for tribal nations to do the same, only better.

Government Regulation and Permission

Congress formally recognized the limited rights of Indians to conduct gaming in 1988 with the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). IGRA created the National Indian Gaming Commission to regulate Indian gaming and to oversee and manage the growth of what would become a multi-billion dollar industry. The IGRA generally allows tribes to use Class II games such as bingo so long as they aren’t criminally prohibited by the state. For Class III casino-style gaming, the tribes must first negotiate compacts with states concerning games to be played, the regulation of these games, and any taxes necessary to placate the state.

Tribal Casino Revenue

Just like state and local governments do it, the revenue brought in by tribal organizations from any source are used as a tax base to fund essential services, such as education, law enforcement, tribal courts, economic development, and infrastructure improvement. Just like money from state lotteries, tribal governments use gaming revenue to fund social service programs, scholarships, health care clinics, roads, bridges, water, sewer, housing and chemical dependency treatment programs, just to name a few. Many tribes even give back to their pale faced benefactors through community outreach programs like money for schools, non-tribal scholarships, round-eye health clinics, modified gambling addiction counseling and other social programs.

What Does It All Add Up To?

Less than half of US Indian tribes are engaged in gaming of any kind, mostly due to geographical limitations. Many of them are very small, and operate with burdensome limitations on the quantity, type and bet limits allowed for their games. Even still, according to The National Indian Gaming Commission, the federal regulatory agency for Indian gaming, they reported gross revenues for 2006 well in excess of $22 billion.

What Has This Done for Tribal Nations?

Indian gaming has had a huge economic impact on some of the most impoverished Native communities in America. It’s provided thousands of jobs for Indians and non-Indians, paid tens of millions of dollars in payroll and other taxes, and elevated the life prospects of all their peoples. Even after the introduction of gaming, tribal citizens have not had an easy road. Indian reservations still have a nationally leading 31% poverty rate, 46% unemployment rate, and tribal health and education remain among the very worst in the country, but you should have seen the statistics before.

Still An Improvement

There is no silver bullet to fix such woes or heal these wounds that were cut over hundreds of years, but every ounce of hope afforded is a step in the right direction. As gaming revenues have increased, DSHS enrollment by tribal citizens has decreased. As tribal wealth has advanced, the number of scholarships and other opportunities available has increased and professional and business opportunities for tribal citizens have flourished. As casinos have expanded, so has dropped the unemployment, drug and alcohol dependency and homelessness rates.

Get Rid Of the Crime, Get Rid of the Criminal

Thousands have gone to prison for gaming operations, but not because it was “wrong”, only because it was “illegal.” This is just one case of a win-win scenario where a select few were allowed to do the unusual and prosper by it. Didn’t they deserve a little bit of opportunity back after all that they have endured?

Let’s Take One More Step

So we can agree that “taking the felony out of gambling” is a good thing for all but the very few who have gambling compulsions. It helps those fortunate enough to operate the establishments, it puts money in a place where it’s long been needed the most, and brings joy to the communities it serves. Let’s stop talking and take another step towards righting a past wrong. Without the blacks, the civil war would have been lost, and all they got in kind was 150 years of broken promises, the Tuskegee experiment, and priority seating at the shameful back of city busses. Pot isn’t a bad thing, so let’s just admit it, tax it, and put the money to use making good on old promises so far unfulfilled.