Tribes seek positive portrayal of Indian gaming

FROM THE ARCHIVE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2003

Still reeling from media reports critical of the $12 billion Indian gaming industry, tribes are planning a national public relations campaign to tell the "true story" of their success.

Mark Van Norman, executive director of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), said tribes hope to raise upwards of $5 million for the effort. He cited the creation of more than 800,000 jobs and improvements in education, health care and reservation infrastructure as some of the benefits of tribal casinos.

"We're going to get that message out there," he told tribal leaders at meeting of the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) in suburban Washington, D.C., yesterday.

Leaders of USET, which represents more than 20 tribes from Maine to Florida, are playing a key role. Mark Brown, head of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, whose casino is one of the world's most successful, is co-chair of the campaign.

At USET, attendees repeatedly referred to the recent TIME magazine series that questioned whether gaming has helped Indian people. Complaints of "demagoguery" and "editorializing" were common as tribes said the report was an attack on their success.

Phil Hogen, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), and one of his commissioners, Chuck Choney, were also critical. They called it inaccurate and not reflective of the regulation that occurs at the tribal and federal level. Nelson Westrin, the third NIGC member, did not comment specifically.

"It painted a pretty bleak picture of Native American gaming," assessed Choney, a former FBI agent who said he has seen both the "bad" and "good" of the industry, "and everyone knows knows that's not true."

But Hogen, a former U.S. attorney from South Dakota, said the Bush administration was conflicted on the role it should play in the ongoing debate. Charged with oversight, the NIGC can't be seen as a promoter, he told conference attendees. That was a complaint that surfaced during the last three years of the Clinton administration.

"We think there's a risk," he said, "if we look too much like a cheerleader and not like a regulator then somebody is going to say: 'See, we told you so.'"

Along with the media coverage, Van Norman described last year as one filled with "challenges." He cited legislative proposals to study Indian gaming, authorize Internet gambling and to impose a moratorium on federal recognition. All were defeated but he said members of Congress are already working on new bills.

"We can expect these issues to come back," he said. "We must be active, engaged and ready to protect our interests."

Relevant Links:
United South and Eastern Tribes - http://usetinc.org
National Indian Gaming Association - http://www.indiangaming.org
National Indian Gaming Commission - http://www.nigc.gov

TIME Indian Gaming Report:
Part 1: Wheel of Misfortune | Part 2: Playing the Political Slots