[Mpls] Benefits of Indian gaming

[mclemore at bitstream.net]

For many Native American tribes gambling has produced clear benefits, 
including a decline in poverty and mortality rates.  Since tribes are 
sovereign nations, they are not taxed by the U.S. government (to do 
so would be like taxing Canada).  The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 
1988 legalized gaming operations on a national level; in addition, 
some states gave tribes exclusive rights to gaming operations.  
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Minnesota was one such 
state; if so, then any attempt on Minnesota's part to establish 
gaming operations is tantamount to yet another broken treaty. 

The website of the National Bureau of Economic Research cites a 
recent study on Indian gambling.  Here's what it says about the 
social and economic impacts:  "Examining the effects of casinos after 
at least four years of operation, the authors find that positive 
changes include: young adults moving back to reservations, fueling an 
11.5 percent population increase; adult employment increasing by 26 
percent; and a 14 percent decline in the number of working poor. In 
counties with or near a casino, the employment- to- population ratio 
has increased and mortality has declined."  If I remember correctly, 
the report mentions that the beneficiaries of jobs created through 
Indian gambling are often non-Native.

The report details negative impacts as well, borne largely by 
communities adjacent to gaming operations (increases in bankruptcy 
rates, crime, etc.).  My guess is that the costs to communities are 
the same, whether the gambling is state-sponsored or Native-American. 

Here's the link to the 2002 report:  http://www-
1.gsb.columbia.edu/divisions/finance/seminars/micro/Fall_03/evans.pdf

Liz McLemore
Bancroft