Throughout this week we’ve talked about tribal gaming. There are so many new thing that I’ve learned about with this subject and I think it’s really fascinating. I didn’t know that when tribal gambling started that there was such a big controversy. I also don’t like how still to this day people consider casinos that are run by a tribal government as tax evading. If anything tribal casinos pay a lot more than normal privately owned casinos.
I’m glad that Iowa has three tribal casinos. I don’t know all the numbers but I hope that they’re doing well enough that they can pay all of their fees and still be able to operate with a nice profit that can be shared with tribal members. Not all tribes get paid from casinos, we learned. A lot don’t make enough to pay out to their members, and if they do make enough then their members are not getting a lot. Tribes that are also located in rural areas that are far from other metropolitan areas have troubles, too; they don’t have the traffic to open a casino.
When we talked about where money from tribal casinos went I Was shocked. All the money goes to the tribal government and then it gets split up there. I really liked how most tribes took health care as the biggest priority when it came to casino profits. A lot of people could take that money and build other things or buy stuff that the tribe doesn’t need. I’m glad that many tribal governments are proactive with helping their people.
mikerose July 13, 2018
Jake,
It is very interesting about the whole tribal gaming that goes on for tribes. I also agree that it is a good thing that tribes have casinos to pay for expenses for their people. I also thought Professor McClung brought up a great point of how some people in their tribes don’t like what gaming is all about. Honestly a lot of people in the tribes probably agree with this but you need something to bring in an income. And when you have been screwed over time and time again you will do anything to get back on your feet.
-Mike
blengel July 13, 2018
I think the whole way casinos work with the Natives is kind of cool. I also like that they prioritize the money towards things like health care. But, I also think it is pretty cool how they are owned by the tribal government so everyone can benefit from it. Though this is all good, it really does get sad to see how the government tries to limit the money that they earn. They see them having success and then they try to make it even harder for them to earn money. They think they are being fair, but in reality we shouldn’t be taking money away from them because they deserve every dime they make. Even when the tribes are making a decent living for their people, they can’t give them the victory. It’s not enough that we took their land and gave them hardly any chance of survival, but then they have to limit one of their biggest sources of income.