Editorial: Tribal gaming in Arizona benefits all

Tuesday, May 3, 2005  

"What do Arizona's schools, wildlife, sexual assault victims and libraries have in common? All benefit from Indian casino gaming.

Indeed, Arizona tribes have provided more than $100 million to the state in their first two years of casino revenue sharing, funneling $47 million to our terribly under-funded K-12 schools.

We opposed Proposition 202 in 2002, expressing several concerns, including the prospect that the state would approve endless slot machines and blackjack games simply to enrich its own coffers.

Our primary fear, though, was that the original intent of federal approval for Indian gaming - to improve the tribes' plight and the standard of living on reservations - would get lost in the shuffle.

Instead, the expansion of Indian casino gambling has resulted in far more money than expected, providing tribes with money to not only jump-start their own economies, but also contribute generously to areas that benefit us all."

Get the Story:
Our Opinion: Tribal profits enhance lives in all Arizona (The Tucson Citizen 5/3)