National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. last week told a committee of U.S. Senators about the effects that tribal gaming has had since the Supreme Court paved the way for Indian gaming about 30 years in California v. Cabazon decision (1987.)
The industry that grew from the U.S. Supreme Court’s Cabazon and Morongo decisions, “has responsibly grown into a $31 billion industry that is rebuilding our communities, educating a generation of new Native leaders, and providing jobs to hundreds of thousands of American families,” said Stevens. He added, “I can’t say enough about the investments that tribes have made in education. Where 30 years ago, we relied on outsiders to serve as our doctors, lawyers, and other professionals-today, we’re educating our young leaders, and they’re returning to serve their communities.”
Embroidering this theme, Forest Co. Potawatomi Chairman Gus Frank, Quechen Indian Tribe President Kenny Escalanti, Sr., and Suquamish Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman talked about the impact gaming has had on their tribes.
It has created jobs, helped tribes restore lost lands and preserve culture.
John Tahsuda, acting assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, said that the gaming glass can be considered half full. “While gaming has great potential to improve economic conditions for tribal and non-tribal communities, it can also introduce new complications to communities, including a drain on local resources, increased traffic, visitation, and crime….” he said.
Stevens later urged lawmakers to “begin the debate to fix the tribal-state compacting process that has been broken for more than two decades. We know this is not an easy lift, but we call on your leadership to begin a respectful debate to craft an alternative that will secure Indian gaming for the next 30 years.”
