Opinion: Indian gaming a success and a failure

Thursday, October 18, 2007  

"When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Rights Act (IGRA) in 1989 it meant to provide federally recognized Indian tribes with the opportunity to use gambling establishments as a way to secure financial independence. Almost 20 years after its passage, we see that it has both succeeded and failed in this mission.

Throughout much of the 20th century, Indian tribes were among the most destitute and hopeless of all major demographic groups in the United States.

Many lived on reservations riddled with drug problems and alcoholism and plagued by high rates of suicide. Often lacking basic necessities such as running water or adequate housing, tribes were essentially wards of the state.

For many tribes, gambling has changed that. Consider the Saginaw Chippewa Indians of central Michigan. Before the IGRA, their reservation was one of the poorest regions in Michigan, with many trailers lacking even indoor plumbing.

Now as a tribe, they own a casino-resort, a golf course, a hotel, and a convenience store. They are able to provide services for the elederly, education, and housing for their constituents and distribute a cash stipend to each tribal member. The pace of the turnaround has been staggering.

In fewer than 15 years, the reservation has gone from a place of despair with seemingly irreversible poverty to a growing community with the resources to take care of its own.

The windfall for tribes hasn't been all positive, however. Tribes face stereotypes and jealousy that can result in ugly racial confrontation and increasing pressure from both inside and outside of the tribe to spread the wealth."

Get the Story:
Politically Speaking by Tim Mooney: The prickly question of tribal casinos (The BC Heights 10/18)