"While casino gambling has made several Indian tribes rich, the experience of Texas tribes offers a cautionary tale. The casinos not only breed crime and corruption, but also make unreliable tools for economic development.

The right to run a Class II casino in Eagle Pass enabled the Kickapoo Indian tribe to move from an impoverished existence under the International Bridge to a modest reservation with houses, schools and health care. This was a significant improvement, but all was not well. Last month a grand jury indicted six former tribal leaders and employees on 19 counts of stealing almost $1 million in casino and health care revenues belonging to the tribe.

The experience of the Tigua tribe near El Paso is even sadder. In 2002, according to the Washington Post, two Washington influence peddlers successfully worked with religious conservative Ralph Reed to persuade the state of Texas to shut down the Tigua casino, governed by different federal legislation than the Kickapoos'. The insiders, lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations agent Michael Scanlon, flaunting their access to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, persuaded the Tiguas to pay them $4.2 million to persuade Congress to restart their casino. When the Tiguas ran out of money, Abramoff suggested they take out life insurance policies on tribal elders."

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Editorial: Wrong gamble (The Houston Chronicle 1/5)