Ed. Note: The following opinion was written in response to a Providence Journal editorial that called on tribes to share gaming revenues with states.

"Tribal-government gaming generates some $5 billion annually in federal taxes and revenue savings, through increased income and employee-payroll tax receipts, and reduced welfare and unemployment payments. This year, tribal-government gaming will generate about $1.5 billion in state revenue, through payroll and income taxes and revenue-sharing agreements. At the local level, Indian tribes generate well over $50 million annually for local governments. And each year, Indian tribes donate more than $70 million to local and national charities.

In California during the past three years -- while the rest of the state has been in economic decline -- tribal governments have ranked above all other California employers in job growth, registering a 14.8-percent increase in employment for the year ending in June 2003. Tribal-government gaming in California has created nearly 50,000 jobs in that state.

This is all in addition to the revenues gained by local businesses that provide goods and services to the tribe, and the benefits that a gaming facility brings to local hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues. Tribes are good neighbors, having proven that they will work with local communities to ensure that everyone benefits."

Get the Story:
Ernest L. Stevens Jr.: Casino gambling -- Indians help spread wealth to states (The Providence Journal 2/21)
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