"Eight Nebraska meat-processing plant workers shared in a $365 million Powerball jackpot last weekend; they'll each get about $15.5 million after taxes. And North Dakota players shared in some big prizes, too, including A $200,000 Powerball win.

There was joy and jubilation on the prairies.

I began thinking about gambling and the casino issue after conversations with friends about what we would do with $15.5 million. More important, we also thought there was a two-faced view about charity gambling and Indian gaming. I wonder: When Powerball winnings make headlines, do casual gamblers who buy lottery tickets and/or play bar bingo see these games as somehow "less gambling" than the proposed Turtle Mountain casino?

Charitable gambling is a way to help people in our communities who need assistance. The Turtle Mountain tribe is less fortunate than other tribes in the state, including my own the Three Affiliated Tribes of New Town, N.D. The main reason, of course, is location.

I am lukewarm about a casino in Grand Forks because I question the demand for one here. But I certainly don't question Turtle Mountain's need to help its community and understand the tribe's need to open a facility in or near a bigger market."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Cursing gambling, blessing bars (The Grand Forks Herald 2/25)

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