"For many years, Wyoming fought tooth and nail against tribal efforts to establish casino-style gambling on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
But in 2011, with Indian gambling here to stay in Wyoming and bringing much-needed revenue and jobs to the reservation, it’s difficult to remember what the fuss was all about. Still, the cost of the fight to the state is worth recalling.
At various times Wyoming officials offered different reasons for the state’s vigorous opposition. Apart from personal moral objections, none of the public policy issues they cited ring true today.
Then-Gov. Jim Geringer, a longtime opponent of all forms of gambling, firmly established the state’s anti-Indian casino position in the early 1990s.
Geringer and other state officials often cited the overwhelming defeat of a 1994 initiative that would have allowed counties to decide individually if they wanted to allow casino gambling. If that was the attitude of a solid majority of voters throughout Wyoming, it gave officials a high-profile excuse to try to keep casinos off the reservation."
Get the Story:
Editorial: Indian gaming increased tribes' jobs, revenue
(The Casper Star-Tribune 6/3)
Related Stories:
Northern Arapaho Tribe consulted elders
before gaming (5/31)
Advertisement
Tags
Search
More Headlines
Catawba Nation continues work on controversial casino in North Carolina
Gaming initiatives backed by tribal corporation faces uncertain future
Chuck Hoskin: Renewed gaming compacts ensure a brighter future for Oklahoma
Republican governor suffers another setback in dealings with tribes in Oklahoma
Cronkite News: Gila River hotels, casinos close for two weeks after worker death
Cronkite News: Curfew curtailing casinos? Don’t bet on it, owners say
'We are thrilled': Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe hails victory for sovereignty
Tribes sue Trump administration after being excluded from coronavirus relief program
Donovan White: Standing up for Native Americans and Native American jobs
'Finally': Tribal gaming in line for coronavirus relief amid stiff competition for resources
Oregon tribes’ primary engines – casinos – stalled by COVID-19
Gaming initiatives backed by tribal corporation faces uncertain future
Chuck Hoskin: Renewed gaming compacts ensure a brighter future for Oklahoma
Republican governor suffers another setback in dealings with tribes in Oklahoma
Cronkite News: Gila River hotels, casinos close for two weeks after worker death
Cronkite News: Curfew curtailing casinos? Don’t bet on it, owners say
'We are thrilled': Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe hails victory for sovereignty
Tribes sue Trump administration after being excluded from coronavirus relief program
Donovan White: Standing up for Native Americans and Native American jobs
'Finally': Tribal gaming in line for coronavirus relief amid stiff competition for resources
Oregon tribes’ primary engines – casinos – stalled by COVID-19
Indian Gaming Archive