"There are positive results from tribal gambling funds. However, most of the benefits and profits go to a few individuals and tribes who have made billions.

That's why we need to remember the purpose of the National Indian Gaming Act: to alleviate joblessness and poverty on reservations.

There are good reasons for tribes to reach beyond their reservations to ancestral land to try to alleviate poverty and fight the problems of the reservations. But clearly, there are some tribes that have moved way beyond "easing poverty and joblessness on the reservation," which was what the 1988 act was meant to do.

One thing needs to be said for the East Coast tribes: They are generous and help those tribes that need a monetary stake to build a casino. But judging by the stories coming from Indian country, this may be more like a Donald Trump characteristic than that of a generous, traditional Indian leader."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Indian gaming needs scrutinizing (The Grand Forks Herald 4/16)

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