Tribes in Minnesota are feeling the effects of the national recession. Revenues and visits are down 3 to 5 percent, according to John McCarthy, the executive director of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association. "People aren't coming as frequently, and when they do come they're not spending as much," McCarthy told The Minneapolis Star Tribune. At least one tribe has cut some gaming jobs and others are trimming expenses. "I guess there are some recession-proof businesses out there, but we're not in that group," said Tad Johnson, special counsel to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Collectively, tribes are the state's 12th-largest employer, according to the Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce. Get the Story:
State's casinos are hitting a dry spell (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 2/16)