National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens, far right, helped the American Gaming Association open the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Photo from Twitter
Tribal and commercial casinos contributed $240 billion to the U.S. economy in 2013, the American Gaming Association said in a report on Tuesday. The report did not provide exact figures from Indian Country -- most of those numbers are well guarded. But the AGA said tribal facilities play an important role in shaping the U.S. gaming industry through jobs, revenues, direct and indirect spending as well as payroll and other taxes. "In all, commercial and tribal casinos in 39 states generate enough consumer demand to produce total revenues of more than $81 billion – almost as much as U.S. households spent at hotels last year," the report said. According to the report, tribes operate 474 casinos in 28 states while commercial operators run 510 facilities in 23 states. Together, they employ 734,000 people, generating nearly $33 billion in wages, benefits and tips, the AGA said in a press release "Casino purchases from suppliers support another approximately 383,000 jobs, and gaming employees’ spending sustains nearly 595,000 jobs," the press released added. "Overall, the industry supports a total of more than 1.7 million jobs—greater than the entire airline industry—and nearly $74 billion income." Most tribes do not publicly report their revenues but the National Indian Gaming Commission said they brought in $28 billion in revenue in 2013. Most areas of Indian Country aren't seeing dramatic gains but the industry appears to be stable after seeing a slump follow the national economic recession in 2008. The report was released on the first day of the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ernie Stevens, the chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, helped open the meeting. Get the Story:
Gaming’s $240 billion impact noted; Murren eyes fantasy sports (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 10/1)
Report: U.S. Gaming Industry Generated $240 Billion Economic Impact in 2013 (Time 10/1)
Gambling execs tout big impact numbers amid closings (The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 10/1)
Jackpot! Gambling's impact on the US economy (CNBC 9/30)
Study: Gambling industry worth $240B, 1.7M jobs (AP 9/30)
Report: Gambling industry paid out $38B in taxes (AP 9/30)
Related Stories
American Gaming Association includes
tribes in economic report (9/30)
Join the Conversation
