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Does casino gambling on reservations help or hurt Native Americans?
Results so far:
| Hurt | 50% | 303 votes | Total: 610 votes | |
| Help | 50% | 307 votes |
Hurt
by Ted Sherman
Created on: June 24, 2007
While I enjoy gambling at Native-American casinos, including several within driving distance of my home, it is a given fact that the casino industry is basically corrupt. By flashy advertising and grandiose promises of get-rich-quick potential, casinos are in business to take money away from gamblers, including many gullible people who can't afford it.
No matter what the publicity, the odds are always always heavily in favor of the casino, and many gamblers foolishly play until they lose their savings and family security. That's the naked truth. Even knowing the bare facts, I enjoy gambling and trust I will know if it ever becomes an destructive obsession. But I have no illusions that such an industry is ultimately helpful to Native Americans.
Of course, there is the reality that any amount of money, no matter how earned, is beneficial to the mostly impoverished Native Americans. Before some sharp lawyer found the loophole in the laws that allowed gambling on their remaining lands, they had endured three centuries of abuse, ghetto containment, genocide and neglect under the control of the European invaders. If you have a chance to visit any reservation today, you will find they are not much better off.
Casinos on Indian lands have been financial successes, and some small share of their profits has filtered down from the corporate casino owners to the tribes. The money does help to improve living conditions, healthcare and education. However, the entire financial structure is built on the deep corruption of the gambling industry. They try to soften it by calling it gaming, but there is no fair game when one side holds all the cards.
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Help
by Alexandra Heep
Created on: June 29, 2007
I have been fortunate enough to have worked for a Native American Casino for three years. I also have lived for 12 years in a pre-dominantly Native American town. From my work experience as well as my many Native American friends' observations I say Casino gambling on reservations helps Native Americans.
Yes I know it's all relative and needs seen in it's proper light, i.e. this issue should not even exist, but here are my reasons for why I write on the "help" side:
My experience has been that the Casino I worked for was by far the hugest employer in the area. The majority of employees were Native American, so first of all it created a lot of jobs that would not otherwise have been there.
I would even go so far as to say that half the infrastructure in that particular town would not have existed without that Casino. This includes gas stations, stores, restaurants etc - many of those provided jobs for other Native Americans.
The Casino did not just cater to gambling though. It had an art gallery that employed several Native American artists who were able to display and sell. I am not talking the stuff you order on the Internet, these were genuine pieces created with natural materials right in front of your eyes. Not only was this a chance for the artists to make a living, there was a lot of cultural education involved. Tours were given that explained about artifacts, history, culture etc.
Another venue the Casino operated was an entertainment facility. Artists like REO Speedwagon, Willie Nelson, LeAnn Rimes, Little River Band, etc were performing during my employment period. This in turn generated extra revenue, plus brought some big time names to a small town that otherwise would have had little for their residents to do recreation wise.
You are probably wondering if all this contributed to higher crime, as usually gambling is associated with crime. Not at all. The majority of gambling patrons were from areas outside of town that came in on buses - usually not Native Americans. If anything, it kept the local population from drinking and doing drugs, because they had a purpose and a job to keep.
Just like any venue that deals with entertainment, the Casino itself was strictly monitored and any arising issues were quickly addressed by Casino security, and/or the local authorities. It was certainly way more peaceful than where I live now ...
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