Gaming on the Navajo Nation will bring jobs to tribal members, a spokesperson for Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said.

Shirley has been promoting gaming on the reservation as a means to generate revenue and stir economic development. Several sites in Arizona and New Mexico are being considered. One casino in New Mexico, near Albuquerque, has already been approved.

A new survey by the National American Indian Housing Council [PDF: News Release] showed that gaming hasn't dramatically altered the unemployment rate among members of tribes with casinos. But the Shirley spokesperson said most jobs that will be generated by Navajo casinos will go to Navajos due to the prevalence of Navajos.

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Navajo leaders look to casinos to fight unemployment (The Farmington Daily Times 9/30)