Artist's rendering of proposed Catawba Nation casino in North Carolina. Image from Catawba Nation Project Brief
Writer claims story about proposed Catawba Nation casino in North Carolina left out the negative side of gambling:
If you subscribe to or frequently check out Raleigh’s News & Observer, you probably saw the featured Sunday story that looked at casino gambling in Cherokee as well as the coming expansions and the efforts to introduce more of the same in South Carolina under the banner of the Catawba tribe. It was a good and well-written story — as far as it went. Unfortunately, here’s the one hugely important item that you didn’t see anywhere in the lengthy and quite-thoroughly illustrated story: Any mention whatsoever of the the way that large and predatory gambling corporations exploit Native American tribes along with a huge proportion of the customers who visit the casinos.
The Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina. Photo from Facebook
One would think it might have occurred. After all, one of the Cherokee customers interviewed for the story admitted that he frequents Cherokee “42-44 weekends a year.” Good lord, what’s next? An upbeat profile of a regular slot machine player who shares a cheap hotel room with seven other people and frequents the local blood bank?Get the Story:
Rob Schofield: What was missing from the weekend News & Observer story on casinos (The Progressive Pulse 8/26) Related Stories:
Eastern Cherokees resist Catawba Nation casino in North Carolina (8/25)
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