Wells Mahkee: Navajo Nation looks to gaming to change its future

Monday, January 31, 2011  

"Since the opening of Fire Rock Casino back in November of 2008, the opening of the Flowing Water Casino in New Mexico, along with the proposed opening of the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff, the Navajo Nation - one of the last few remaining tribes in the Southwest that had staunchly resisted the temptation of gaming - has been criticized for once again "selling out" to the allure of the Almighty Dollar.

Over the past few decades, many tribal nations have prospered greatly as a result of Indian gaming. Our Pueblo neighbors to the east - Acoma, Laguna, Sandia, Santa Ana, San Felipe, and many of the Pueblos north of Santa Fe, N.M. seem to have benefited greatly as a result of gaming. Some have expanded their facilities to better accommodate additional gaming for additional revenue and bigger events in order to attract more people for even more revenue. But who ultimately pays for such expanded growth?

While proponents of gaming, such as former Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., continue to tout the benefits of gaming, there seem to be an equal number of individuals who are against gaming in any shape or form. But in the midst of one of the worst recessions in recent history, is gaming really such a bad idea? In late December, Shirley stated that economic development meant jobs for Navajos and revenues for the Nation to meet the needs of the people.

He stated in a recent article regarding the proposed opening of the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff, "We're moving forward as a nation, a government and as a people. [Many] families are going to be in a position to put food on the table, to put shoes on little feet ... to pay for the utilities - that's what [gaming] means to my people.""

Get the Story:
Wells Mahkee Jr.: Are casinos really the answer to the Navajo Nation's future? (The Navajo-Hopi Observer 1/25)