"Tribes that put all of their eggs in one basket are facing an uncertain future at best. In my mind a profitable casino is still a business built on shifting sands. Every tribe should be looking at alternative business ventures outside of gambling. If the plug were pulled on legalized gambling the tribes would then have something to fall back on.

For the most part legalized gambling has carried mixed blessings for the Indian nations of America. It has given some tribal governments financial independence. It has allowed the Indian nations to become more involved in the political process and has made them a powerful lobby, but not always with great success (reads Jack Abramoff).

But gambling will always be a shaky enterprise based on the whims of the gamblers and the state of the economy. So you see, I can never be 100 percent pro-gaming because it is adrift with too many uncertainties and it often brings out the worst in people and tribes. Money plus greed can play strange tricks on the minds of the once downtrodden."

Get the Story:
Tim Giago: Building a business on shifting sands (The Native American Times 5/29)

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