Gambling on Decentralization: How Sub-National Regulatory Interests Condition the Impact of Federal Policy

Intergovernmental relations scholars note a decentralizing trend transferring authority from national to state and local government in the American federalist system. Theory suggests that a misalignment of the interests of national and regional actors may lead to variation in sub-national regulatory environments. We investigate how different sub-national regulatory environments condition the impact of Tribal gaming. Using tribal-state gaming compacts and amendments from 1990–2010, we examine how restrictions in sub-national regulatory agreements condition intended impacts of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. We find that revenue sharing and market restrictions differentially influence the impact of gaming on tribal per capita income but not levels of unemployment. Through the case of Tribal gaming, we determine how sub-national agreements condition the relative accomplishment of policy goals important to Native nations.

Does Easy Access to Casinos Influence Addictive Gambling Behavior by College Students? The Potential Role of Tribal Gaming in America

This study extends prior research examining whether physical proximity to casinos influences gambling behavior of college students, as well as whether this is related to gender and GPA. We collected data from students at a major urban university, where there are twelve casinos within sixty miles of the campus.

Indian Gaming

Indian gaming, also called Native American casino gaming or tribal gaming, is tribal government gaming. It is government gaming built on sovereignty and consequently is a corollary to state gambling such as lotteries rather than a corollary to corporate gaming. While the types of games offered in casinos might differ in format from ancestral indigenous games, gaming itself is a cultural tradition in many tribes, including those who operate casino gambling. Native American casino gaming is a $33.7 billion industry operated by nearly 250 distinct tribes in twenty-nine states in the United States. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988 provides the framework for tribal gaming and the most important case law in Indian gaming remains Seminole Tribe of Florida v. Butterworth, in the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the US Supreme Court decision over California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians.

On Free Play and Tribal Gaming Taxes

There are a total of 243 Native Indian tribes which collectively have 512 tribal casinos. A majority of tribal casinos offer loyalty cards and free play, and many tribal casinos spend millions of dollars per year on this form of marketing. Tribal operators argue that the full face value of all free-play offers should be considered a marketing expense, but taxing authorities in many states are not in agreement, and argue that some percentage or all of Free Play should not be considered an expense item by the casinos. In this article, we provide a very brief history of tribal gaming, explain how Free Play affects house advantages and other performance indicators of casino slot floors, include a discussion on the structure of state taxation in the U.S., and also show how tribal casinos in different states stack up in terms of gross gaming revenue and taxes.

Tribal Gaming Leader Strategies toward a Sustainable Future

One aspect of leadership strategy is the need to account for the core values of the organization. The purpose of this case study was to explore the tribal gaming leader strategies used toward sustainability, an action that leads to tribal economic development and stability. The conceptual framework of situational leadership theory was used to guide the scope and analysis of this study. Six tribal gaming leaders from Oklahoma participated in a focus group session; 7 additional tribal gaming leaders from the same gaming organization participated in individual interview sessions. Member checking was used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretation of the participants’ responses. Additionally, company documents were reviewed to triangulate the data. Four emergent themes were identified after data analysis: business value, which was attributed to tribal leaders’ alignment to their mission; strategic vision, which included their marketing and overall business environment; collaboration, which was evident wherein the tribal gaming leaders utilized internal and external partnerships to improve local communities and maintain competitive advantage; and communication, which was emphasized for its importance as a daily skill for information sharing.