A panel discussion at the Native American Journalists Association conference in Lincoln, Nebraska, focused on Indian gaming.

Tribal representatives said gaming has brought hope to Indian communities. It has created jobs, generated revenues and helped tribe diversify their economies, they said.

Non-tribal speakers didn't necessarily agree. One expressed concern with off-reservation gaming while another, a United Methodist minister, said gambling is one of the "evils of society," The Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Participants included Mark Van Norman, the executive director of the National Indian Gaming Association; Charlene Alden, gaming manager for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, Kurt Luger, the executive director of the Great Plains Indian Gaming Association; Ernie Goss, a Creighton University economics professor; and the Rev. Lauren Eckdahl.

The panel will be broadcast on Nebraska Educational Telecommunications at 8pm on September 14, and at 12:30pm September 18.

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Panelists discuss benefits, drawbacks of Indian gaming (The Lincoln Journal 8/14)