The lifestyle, economic, and social situation of Native Americans (or American Indians, depending on denomination and sensibilities) are extremely complex situations with a much higher level of gravitas in the lore of the American nation. Despite being a set of as many stories as there are tribes, some elements of their way of life are uniform enough to be treated a bit as a monolith.
Leaning on operating casinos is one of the ways in which many tribes try to improve their situation. The genesis of this status came with the Indian Gaming Regulatory, which dates back to 1988. As such, the tribes that found themselves within states that allowed such operations anywhere in their territories could develop such places of leisure.
Quite famously, this sector developed at an incredibly high pace over the last 35 years. The growth has been surprisingly uniform, with 28 states having a tribal casino presence. As such, the AGA (American Gaming Association) rated this industry sector as being worth more than $32 billion circa in 2019.
Given this immense level of flowing money, the direct effects on the communities have to showcase a few interesting details. Some are in the direction of positive impact, while some prove how difficult it is to interact with such a scenario.
Upsides of Casino Revenue
If there’s money going around, the chances are that the community would benefit in one way or another. Make what you will about the effectiveness of trickle-down economics, but the money can move more effectively in small tribal communities.
An influx of revenue
Revenue per casino is a relative concept because it depends on factors like state and reservation infrastructure, population, and casino capacity. As such, the possibility to create revenue through incorporated casinos with legal status is immense. The money that these casinos generate benefit close-quartered communities where the revenue goes around.
The system is about the tribe spreading the money around and helping the entire tribe. Moreover, this influx of cash can raise funds for the aforementioned infrastructure, itself being helpful for the idea of facilitating growth. This growth is a real boon for investments in areas like healthcare and public education.
If the overall community thrives, the place where the casino stands can resemble the resort atmosphere, which can attract even more gamblers.
Job opportunities
To operate a casino that also offers lodging and other hospitality services, you need quite a diverse staff across numerous places. You would require croupiers, administration, cleaning personnel, electricians, and many more people. Since they all belong to the tribal community, a big operation like a casino is synonymous with job opportunities.
As far as 2003, we had encouraging metrics that showcased that reservation-level employment benefited from a 26% spike in employment rates due to tribal casinos.
While present data is murky at best, it’s quite clear that the present-day issues of these communities (addiction, crime, etc.) have a mitigating factor in the employment opportunities provided by the casinos operating in their communities.
Downsides
The truth is that any gambling-related operation within a community has some sort of potential to have downsides.
Addiction concerns
According to data generated by the National Epidemiologic Survey, Native Americans have a 2.3% problem gambling rate – the highest in the USA, tied with Asian Americans. Naturally, the overall community is much smaller than other ethnic groups in the states, but the high rate is still concerning.
If one were to draw parallels, we simply cannot ignore the correlation between this high rate and the presence of gambling activity. Exposure to such activities is not a direct factor; it still serves as a preamble. Young people living around gambling can easily trivialize its risks, start doing it early, and eventually run into neurological issues that eventually affect behavior.
This exposure to gambling will always attract moral concerns because it’s a form of entertainment that attracts a lack of financial responsibilities without the necessary attraction and awareness.
A possible lack of sustainability
This is speculative territory, but looking at it in the long term, it can be furiously significant down the road. The truth about gambling is that it’s turning toward the digital area, and it’s doing it really fast. The metrics for the growth of online gambling are astonishing, and the entire industry sees flourishing attachments.
People collect their data about gaming platforms from Slotscalendar, access the digital casino, and start playing video slots, and place sports bets. This is a reality to seems to stand more toward the sector of younger demographics. As such, the future of gambling churns its conduits are looks like it's going digital.
Among the first casualties are the communities where physical casinos are the most important source of revenue. Given the big question marks going forward, it’s safe to say that any questions about the sustainability of this environment are more than legitimate.
