Blue Corn Comics -- Stereotype of the Month Entry

Stereotype of the Month Entry
(1/8/03)

Many Eyes Are Watching Tribal Gaming Casinos

On behalf of the 184-member Indian tribes of the National Indian Gaming Association, I write to express my disappointment with your Dec. 26 editorial "The Niagara Stakes." You disparage Indian gaming as being underregulated and as not benefiting "poor" Indian tribes. Once again, you are wrong about Indian gaming.

Indian Tribes spend $212 million annually to regulate Indian gaming at the federal ($8 million), state ($40 million) and tribal government ($164 million) levels. Tribal gaming regulatory agencies employ more than 2,800 professional gaming regulators and staff. Tribes employ top-notch professionals and use state-of-the-art surveillance and security equipment. In addition, the FBI and the Justice Department have jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute anyone, whether customer, employee or manager, who would cheat or defraud an Indian gaming facility.

You claim Indian gaming does not benefit "the poor Indians." The truth is, Indian gaming is building schools and health clinics and funding essential governmental services throughout Indian country. In North and South Dakota, for example, Indian gaming generates about 7,000 jobs, mostly for Indian people — many of whom had no previous steady, full time employment. Nationwide, Indian gaming generates 300,000 jobs.

Ernest L. Stevens Jr.
Chairman
National Indian Gaming Association
Washington

Updated January 8, 2003

Rob's comment
The Wall Street Journal's notion that Indian gaming doesn't benefit "poor Indians" is ludicrous. Actually, it benefits Indians in several ways:

The poor Indians in tribes with successful gaming operations benefit by getting jobs, social services, and in some cases, direct payments.
Indian gaming wasn't meant to help poor Indians in tribes that elected not to pursue it. But these Indian get helped by state compacts that divert some of the gaming tribes' revenues to them.
All Indians, whether poor or not, benefit by the increase visibility and stature Indian gaming has provided. Organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians can lobby for Indians more effectively precisely because gaming gives them more lobbying funds.

Since Indians are everywhere, it would be hard to develop an industry that didn't benefit them even a little. As I said, the idea is ludicrous on the face of it.

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