Topics to be Covered
The initial presentation in this section concerns the issue of who gets to retain their membership in tribes that give distributions from gaming revenues. The interviews in the presentation, entitled “Thousands of Native Americans are Being Kicked out of Tribes,” deal with the case of a family that has been kicked out of the Pechanga Nation in California. This family has been receiving large distributions of money from the tribe’s gaming operation. The reports indicate that the family has a good basis for claims that a current matrilineal ancestor was in fact a member of the tribe, and so it remains unclear on what basis the tribal leadership has decided to expel them from the tribe’s rolls. In the next presentation, “The Many Benefits of Tribal Gaming,” the subject matter has to do with the benefits of gaming operations for gaming tribes as well as other tribes that have transfer agreements with gaming tribes. The rural tribe featured in this story has received transfers from urban gaming tribes and used the money to fund social services, infrastructure, and other much-needed development projects for the tribal community. The third video, “How Tribal Gaming Funds Infrastructure in Tribal Communities,” expands on this theme by addressing the positive effects of gaming revenues for gaming tribes. Speakers explain that this tribe experienced a dramatic drop in unemployment after the infusion of gaming revenues used to support and expand public services, such as law enforcement, public libraries and schools. The following presentation goes into more depth on the advantages of gaming and casino development for tribes, delving in to the ways in which tribal members gain valuable employment experience as casino employees. In “Gambling for the Future” we learn about the Arapaho tribe in Wyoming, which operates a successful casino in the state. The next presentation, titled “Indian Casinos, Alcohol, and Communities,” focuses on the downside of casinos for Native Americans. The presentation showcases public officials testifying about the need for more public safety staff to patrol the area around a Native American casino because of public disorder and crime caused in part by patrons’ alcohol consumption. This testimony shows the need to attend to some of the ill effects of casinos on local communities when patrons’ behavior gets out of hand.
Learning Outcomes
The students who listen to these presentations will be able to grasp the pros and cons of gaming for Native American communities as well as other affected communities. After this module students should be in a better position to assess the potential benefits and the risks involved in establishing gaming operations on Native American lands.
