Tribal gross gaming revenue for fiscal 2020 totaled $27.8 billion, a drop of 19.5 percent compared to fiscal 2019, according to a report recently released by National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer and Vice Chair Jeannie Hovland.
Simermeyer said the decrease in revenue was not unexpected and Covid-19 pandemic was primarily to blame. “Every year, the annual GGR figure tells a story about Indian gaming’s successes, contributions to Indian communities and economic impacts,” he said. “This was highlighted even more during the pandemic. Nevertheless, tribes were on the forefront of creating standards, developing new safety protocols and sharing community resources. I foresee this decrease as only a temporary setback for Indian gaming.”
Vice Chair Hovland added, “Despite the limits and uncertainty of the last year, it is important to focus on the sacrifices of and economic refuge provided by tribes and the community impacts. Tribal gaming has shown resilience and commitment and continues to develop new roads to economic stability. I look forward to seeing Indian gaming continue to lead the way in efforts to reduce the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,”.
Simermeyer said every NIGC administrative region experienced a GGR decline of more than 13 percent in fiscal 2020. The Rapid City Region posted the largest decrease of 36.6 percent.
The GGR figure is an aggregate of revenue from 524 independently audited financial statements from 248 federally recognized tribes across 29 states.
