The beginning of Indian Casinos
The beginnings of every story known in the present about the past are truly fascinating and the beginnings of Indian casinos are no exception.
The first Indian casino was built in Florida by the Seminole tribe, who opened a successful high-stakes bingo hall in 1979. Other Indian nations quickly followed suit casino sites, and by 2000 more than 150 tribes in 24 states had opened casino or bingo operations on their reservations.
Unlike gaming operations run by non-Indian tribal casinos, the law required you to contribute a percentage of your annual revenue to state-controlled trust funds.
FUNDS in INDIAN CASINOS
These funds were then distributed to local communities to offset costs related to the spillover effects of tribal gaming operations, such as expansion or maintenance of transportation, electrical or sewer systems.And other forms of infrastructure; the need to increase traffic patrols; and treatment for gambling addiction
The prosperity of Indian casino operations is highly dependent on location; those near or in major urban areas can be very successful, while those in remote areas tend to generate much less income
Although tribes with successful operations have been able to use gambling proceeds to improve the general health, education, and cultural well-being of their members, many Indian casinos have not made significant profits.
Therefore, the success of some operations on some reservations cannot be generalized to all casinos or all reservations.
- Controversy because of Indian Casino
- The Indian casino has been at the center of political controversy since the late 1970s. In many cases, the debate has revolved around the morality or immorality of gambling; This problem, of course, is not unique to Indian games in particular.
- Controversies involving Indian casino operations are generally known to have centered themselves on the unique legal status of the tribes, which allows them the privilege of owning and operating such businesses and should be maintained or discontinued.
- Whether the Indians have enough insight or training to run such businesses; whether participating in corporate capitalism inherently undermines indigenous ethnic identities; and whether gambling is a desirable addition to a specific local economy.
- Tribal sovereignty
- Although the indigenous nations have lost most of the battles in the federal courts, the Indian casino is an area in which the judiciary has generally ruled in favor of the tribes.
- Supporters of Indian casinos emphasize that gambling winnings that are based on such legal decisions, for the first time since colonization, have allowed some native communities to become economically independent and thus take positive steps towards self-determination, community building and political empowerment.
- On the contrary, opponents believe that the unique legal status of tribes is unfair, unnecessary, or, in some cases, simply an undesirable artifact of judicial history.
- Business acumen and fraud
- Proponents of Indian casinos agree that many tribes have been defrauded over the past centuries but argue that such losses are the result of the activities of criminals and other people with shady intentions and not the gullibility of the Indians.
- They point out that many people were exploited by Abramoff's ring and that it was so deeply intertwined with the federal government that nothing short of a major investigation would have exposed it.
- In fact, officials from the House of Representatives, the Department of the Interior, and the White House later served time in prison for their role in the Abramoff scandal.
While Representative Tom DeLay, the House Majority Leader (since 2003 until 2005, he gave up his step) although he admitted without guilt. With such examples in mind, proponents of casinos in India argue that, both legally and morally.
Native nations should not be treated differently from state governments and private casino owners and therefore be it must allow to profit and risk capital in gambling in the country in the same way.