Dave Palermo: Tribes join forces to tap into Internet gaming

American Indian leaders in the Midwest and Eastern United States are stepping up efforts to form interstate internet coalitions in an effort to leverage tribal government entry into the quickly emerging online gambling market.

Internet coalitions linking tribes in 28 states are an option for indigenous leaders who fear tribes will not be able to compete with large, popularly branded gambling companies in Nevada and elsewhere, notably Caesars, MGM and Wynn Resorts.

"From the beginning I've been telling tribes their strength is in their numbers and how many states they are in," says Ehren Richardson, an online consultant for several tribes and the National Indian Gaming Association.

"Whether they like (internet gambling) or not, this is how they can succeed, by joining forces. It doesn't mean every single tribe has to be involved," he says, with larger tribes serving as hubs for smaller affiliate tribes.