Casinos Are Not Making Indians Rich

[Ian David]

The ka-ching doesn't ring for everyone
Indian casinos are thriving but they haven't made most Indians wealthy, and
they can't solve the myriad problems that exist on reservations
Alison Owings

Sunday, February 11, 2007


If you object to American Indian casinos, you might not laugh at a joke
circulating in what is commonly called Indian Country.

Among the "Top 10 things you can say to a white person upon first meeting"
is:

"What's your feeling about riverboat casinos? Do they really help your
people, or are they just a short-term fix?"

Let us charge into the din and clangor of the fractious subject of Indian
casinos and see if we can break even.

The casinos exist because native people were trying to get more for native
people and, unlike in many other situations, got a break from Washington.
This try started with legal actions by, among others, California's Cabazon
tribe near Palm Springs, which was trying to expand its bingo and poker
operations.

<snip>

-- Ka-ching fact No. 1: Casinos have not made all, or most, American Indians
wealthy.

They certainly have not made most California American Indians wealthy. A
study by the Center for California Native Nations at UC Riverside (financed
by the Pechanga Tribal Government, which has a very successful casino)
concludes that casinos in California do help tribal members overall.
"Between 1990 and 2000, tribal governments with gaming in California saw a
significant reduction in the percentage of families in poverty, from 36
percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 2000." A 26 percent poverty rate? Hardly a
jackpot.

More:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/11/INGPRO03R81.DTL