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SEPTEMBER 1, 2000

According to a new computer-based analysis by the Associated Press, Indian gaming has benefited little in Indian Country.

The AP analysis takes a look at the industry over the last decade, when gaming became a big part of economic development due to the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988.

The AP analyzes estimates on revenues generated by casinos along with poverty and unemployment rates. Only tribes with Class III, or Vegas-style casinos, are part of the AP analysis, although some of the data available on the AP web site includes tribes who don't have any form of gaming at all, such as the Navajo Nation.

Unemployment statistics on reservations were obtained from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Every two years, the Bureau compiles statistics reported by every tribe on its reservation or near-reservation labor force.

The Bureau relies on each tribe to report accurately the data and doesn't verify the findings. The result is the Indian Service Population and Labor Force Estimates report, from which the AP gets its data for the years 1991 and 1997.

Data from 1999 is forthcoming, although the Bureau was unable to verify a release date as of Thursday.

For some tribes with Class III gaming operations, unemployment has decreased. In 1997, Pojoaque Pueblo of New Mexico reported an unemployment rate of 10 percent, down from 26.2 percent in 1991.

Similarly, San Juan Pueblo of New Mexico reported a 6 percent rate in 1997, down from 37.7 percent in 1991. An informal Indianz.Com survey indicated both attribute the decline directly to their casinos.

But both Pueblos, informally, debated their own unemployment figures. Pojoaque says they have a much lower rate while San Juan says their rate is higher than the 6 percent but lower than 20 percent.

Other tribes with casinos, meanwhile, report an increase in unemployment. The San Carlos Apache reported unemployment at 57.5 percent in 1997, up from 41.7 percent in 1991.

Overall, the Associated Press says that unemployment has changed little for 55 tribes with casinos before 1992. In 1997, the overall rate was 54.5 percent, compared to 54.0 percent in 1991.

The Associated Press also analyzed poverty rates. But only data on county poverty reported by the Census Bureau and and the Department of Labor was used.

The Department of Labor said yesterday they don't collect poverty data on reservations. In this respect, county data can be misleading because is includes non-reservation data and reservations may overlap counties.

Get Reservation Unemployment Figures for 1991 and 1997, compiled by the AP:

Alabama Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Idaho Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maine Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Montana Nebraska Nevada New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon Rhode Island South Dakota Texas Utah Washington Wisconsin Wyoming

Get the BIA 1997 Labor Report:
Indian Service Population and Labor Force Estimates (BIA 1997)

Get the Story:
Most Indians haven't benefited from 1990s casino boom: analysis shows (AP 9/1)
How the Investigation Was Done (AP 8/31)

Relevant Links:
Additional Data from the AP - wire.ap.org/APnews/main.html?PACKAGEID=FEAindiangaming0810
You may be required to select a newspaper. Pick any one and proceed to the "Tribal Gaming" graphic.
The National Indian Gaming Commission - www.nigc.gov
The National Indian Gaming Association - www.indiangaming.org