Is Off-Reservation Gaming a Gamble?

Indian gaming has become a hotbed of discussion over the past few years, especially with the advent of casino after casino sprouting up across the nation. Do Indian reservations need the sustenance of a casino to boost economics and employment rates? Those numbers are in fact just numbers on pieces of paper, but they are the truth. The truth is that while Indian Country may be rich in cultural status and history, they have not yet accumulated the kind of wealth that pays the bills. This is where casinos, whether on or off-reservation, come to the surface of discussion.

The onslaught of tribes seeking lands for off-reservation gaming has increased incredibly over the years. Currently, government approval is being sought by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians together with the Hannahville-Potawatomi Indian Community, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Lac Vieux Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians for an off-reservation gaming facility in Romulus, Michigan.

There are also current negotiations between the Masantucket Pequots and landowners in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, they are in talks of a 400-room hotel, marina, casino, one hundred residential lots, condominiums, two golf courses, retail shops, a convention center, and botanical gardens.

The Turtle Mountain Reservation in northern North Dakota has jumped on the proverbial bandwagon in seeking off-reservation gaming rights. Roughly 485 acres of undeveloped farm land in Grand Forks, North Dakota have been sought after to be utilized for an off-reservation tribal casino to be owned by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Claims have been supported with fact that the city of Grand Forks lies on lands that once belonged to the Ojibwa tribe. The land-owners are more than welcome to the idea and have joined forces with the tribe.

Personally, I have no qualms about the construction of a tribally-run casino in Grand Forks. While Turtle Mountain’s plans are not as exotic as that of the Mashantucket Pequots’, the Grand Forks-based casino would be extremely beneficial towards the tribe. It would increase the revenue that the tribe is currently making, while serving as a booming business for the city of Grand Forks. Employment rates would increase (750 new jobs), thus bringing jobs to the people of Grand Forks. The casino would also bring $75 million in revenue for the tribe.

However, there are some feelings of opposition from “the other side”. Other reservations throughout the state of North Dakota hold exception to my opinions. They feel that if the Turtle Mountain Reservation should have the land, then why are they not receiving the same benefits? Arguments such as these can either make or break relationships between reservations. And that is a gamble that many are willing to take. There are also members of the Turtle Mountain community that feel the sovereign nation should concentrate more on matters closer to home, primarily fixing the problem of unemployment on the reservation.

Also opposed to the casino are various Grand Forks charities, who are lobbying against the casino. They feel that the money they receive through their charitable gaming would be directed towards profiting a jackpot at the casino. The NDAD (North Dakota Association for the Disabled) remarked that their Bingo Palace in Devils Lake, N.D. was shut down for the same reason; the Spirit Lake Casino took away all of their profits.

But, isn’t business about competition? If people choose to gamble at a casino instead of an NDAD-sponsored Bingo game, then that is their choice. It is up to the general public to decide what they do with their money, and where and where not to spend it.

Native Americans have been forced, in a way, to resort to casino gaming as a way to gain economic development for their thriving communities. As noted by John Hughes (a former editor of the Christian Science Monitor and current editor and chief operating officer of the Deseret Morning News), the common-day Indian reservations are similar to the bantustans found in South Africa. Both are located on land that the government did not need – basically because the land was not usable for a profit: “…barren for agriculture, contained no minerals or other natural resources, and had virtually no infrastructure.” What else can be done besides resorting to gaming?

While it has become a tried stereotype against Native Americans, Indian gaming has become an important and popular structure in the Native American economic system. A casino, such as the proposed casino in Grand Forks, would be a giant economic boost in the arm for the Turtle Mountain Reservation. An untold amount of millions of dollars would pour into the reservation and help the tribe financially.

The tribe’s primary source of income, the Skydancer Hotel and Casino, does good business, but not enough to cover the tribe’s current debt as well as other expenses. The reservation complains about their geographic location, which can be considered by some as “out there”. Located roughly forty-five minutes north from North Dakota Interstate Highway 2, the casino depends mostly on Turtle Mountain residents and chartered buses from Manitoba.

Off-reservation gaming is an important resource that should be both approved and used for a tribal nation to gain economic independence and wealth. Reservations which have high unemployment rates and a low economy would benefit, and surely Indian Country would grow to be a prosperous nation.

James Falcon is a freelance writer. He lives on the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe (Chippewa) Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota.