Opinion

Vince Two Eagles: Economic racism in article on tribal gaming

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The Chinook Winds Casino, owned by the Confederate Tribes of Siletz Indians in Oregon. Photo from Facebook

Vince Two Eagles takes aim at The Economist over claims about gaming per capita payments and poverty among tribes in the Pacific Northwest:

In the Jan. 17 issue of The Economist, an article appears entitled: "Of Slots and Sloth (Gambling and Poverty)." The article purports to draw one’s attention to the "curse of easy money" in Indian Country. The piece ostensibly tries to suggest that there is a direct cause and effect between Native Nations developing gaming operations and how this state of affairs not only doesn’t relieve poverty in Indian Country but actually "increases" it. The piece sites "a new study in the American Indian Law Journal [which] suggests that growing tribal gaming revenues can make poverty worse."
The article goes on to say, "Experts offer several explanations. Drug and alcohol abuse are rampant on reservations, so many tribal members find it hard to hold down a steady job. Poor health care is another problem: Native Americans have high rates of obesity and diabetes, which are often aggravated by a lack of good medical care. ... But the biggest problem may be the way casino profits are sometimes disbursed."
The article suggests that where there are direct dividends paid to tribal members, their poverty rate increases as opposed to when casino profits are reinvested the poverty rates decrease.
Is this what happened when the federal government provided stimulus dollars to some failing auto industry companies or major banking/savings and loan companies?
Did the unemployment rate increase because folks were able to go back to work?

Get the Story:
Vince Two Eagles: Economic Racism (The Yankton Press & Dakotan 2/3)

American Indian Law Journal Article:
Greg Guedel: Sovereignty, Economic Development, and Human Security in Native American Nations (Fall 2014)