Blog: Shakopee Tribe casino per capita comes to $1M a year

Monday, February 4, 2013  

"A generation ago, according to a report by the New York Times, members of the Shakopee Mdewakanton of Minnesota were living "in a motley collection of beat-up trailer homes, melting snow for bath water when wells froze over because they lacked indoor plumbing." Now, thanks to the ingenuity of the tribesmen, the close proximity to Minneapolis, and their sovereign right to erect a casino, the tribe is absolutely rolling in cash. The tribe operates two casinos, a championship golf course, a 600-room hotel, and a concert hall, raking in an estimated $1B a year in revenue. Considering there are only 480 members, that leaves plenty to go around.

According to 2004 divorce court papers, each adult member of the tribe receives a monthly check for $84,000. That's $1.08M per year, per person. Better yet, for those who live and work on the reservation, that payment is free from state income taxes. Best of all, employment in one of the tribe's businesses is entirely voluntary. Stanley R. Crooks, the tribe's current president, claims the tribe has "99.2 percent unemployment." Yes, that's right, one need not even work for it."

Get the Story:
The Casino-Rich Whales of Minnesota's Shakopee Tribe (Curbed.Com 1/29)