"If we think of the Chickasaw as a nation, their No. 1 foreign policy priority is trade. Their No. 1 trading partner? Texas.

The WinStar casino is right across the border in Oklahoma, and it's the closest legal gambling to Dallas, so even on a Tuesday night, the vast parking lot is filled with Texas tags.

Like many Indian tribes, the Chickasaw rake in huge sums from their casinos. But there's a certain nervousness here about basing a whole nation's fortunes on gambling.

"My mom used to say, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket,' and that's the essence of what we try to do with our businesses," says Bill Anoatubby, who has been the governor of the Chickasaw Nation since 1987. He is now serving his sixth elected term. "There's always this resistance to gaming — it's in the community, it's in the Congress — so you really, you're not sure what the direction might be. Congress, with very little notice, could change the rules on us, and if they did, we would be — we could have problems.""

Get the Story:
A Sovereign (And Successful) Chickasaw Nation (National Public Radio 4/27)