"A state audit released last week suggests every taxpayer in Wisconsin may be footing a bigger bill because gaming revenues are not what they could be.

The audit found that Wisconsin tribes paid the state almost $200 million over the last three years. Of that amount, more than $75 million was allocated for specific state government programs while about $115 million was deposited in the general fund to meet operating costs. The remainder, around 2 percent of the total, was spent on gambling regulation.

Without that money, taxes would be higher to meet those needs.

And the amount going into state coffers would have been even more, without the Ho-Chunk tribe's dispute with state government. The Ho-Chunk Nation paid the state $30 million, but state officials say the tribe actually owes $70 million more under its compact. The Ho-Chunk Nation is among Wisconsin's richest, and readers will remember the tribe's long and expensive campaign to kill the Beloit plan. This dispute clearly provides one more reason Wisconsin authorities should not listen to the Ho-Chunk's complaints.

But that's an argument for another day. The point is this: Tribal gaming is good for Wisconsin. It provides substantial revenues to support government programs all over the state. It provides jobs and growth in host communities. And it brings desperately needed money into the reservations to support Native American people."

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EDITORIAL: Gaming offsets millions for state (The Beloit Daily News 3/24)