Northern Arapaho Tribe consulted elders before gaming

Tuesday, May 31, 2011  

The Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming consulted its elders before going into the gaming industry.

“They told us gaming’s always been here,” Nelson White, a former council member, told The Casper Star-Tribune.

The tribe started with a bingo hall and eventually went to the state to negotiate a Class III gaming compact. The state refused, leading to litigation in which the tribe prevailed and is entitled to "the full gamut of casino-style" games, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July 2005.

The tribe now operates two gaming facilities on the Wind River Reservation. A study put the economic impact at $90 million a year, with wages at $13.2 million a year.

Most of the employees at the casinos are tribal members.

Get the Story:
Elders launched Arapaho gaming (The Casper Star-Tribune 5/29)
Betting on the future (The Casper Star-Tribune 5/29)
Tribal casinos break new ground (The Casper Star-Tribune 5/29)