Tribal and commercial gaming leaders gathered Monday night at G2E to pay tribute to the legacy of longtime Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr., who died unexpectedly on Sept. 26.
“For generations in gaming, he was a friend, mentor, and inspiration,” AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said in kicking off the tribute in a packed ballroom at the Venetian Expo. “When I became CEO of the American Gaming Association, one of the first calls I got was from Chairman Stevens. I didn’t come from gaming. I had little experience and didn’t have many contacts. Ernie embraced me as a friend and brother from day one.”
Miller said it was a friendship that he valued deeply. He also learned a lesson from Stevens that guided him daily in his position with the AGA.
“Gaining strength and success comes from unity,” Miller said. “He understood that for gaming to reach its full potential, we all need to work together. He believed that for gaming to grow, we all needed to succeed.”
Miller said Stevens saw tribal gaming as a path for economic prosperity, a source of opportunity, and a means to strengthen tribal communities.
During Stevens’s 24-year tenure, tribal gaming grew from $11 billion a year to $50 billion, but Miller said the impact is most felt in tribal hospitals, healthcare systems, schools, and local businesses in tribal nations across the country. “This arc of progress is the greatest success story in gaming’s history. Ernie played the key role and his work will continue through all of us.”
Jason Giles, executive director of the Indian Gaming Association, said the outpouring at Stevens’ funeral in Green Bay was unbelievable.
“Our association didn’t start with gambling. It started with tribal sovereignty. Ernie was on the front lines of this battle with a lot of tribal leaders in this room today. He was such a legend that he’s going to be hard to replace,” Giles said.
Those tribal leaders had the foresight to establish a lobbying arm in Washington, D.C. Their representatives in Congress weren’t supporting them like they should have, Giles said. “There was no better ally to have than Chairman Stevens when he walked into a room with a bunch of tribal leaders. That will be his legacy and what we’re trying to live up to.”
David Bean, who has assumed the role of IGA chairman, also spoke at the event, along with Frances Alvarez, a former member of the San Pasqual Tribal Gaming Commission and a friend of Stevens’s.
“There will never be another Ernie Stevens,” Bean said. “He’s our modern-day superhero and warrior. People say those are big shoes to fill, but we have to come together and move forward together. That’s what Ernie would want us to do.”
Bean said the stories Stevens told were about family, community, and culture. They reminded people why they do the work they do – to take care of their families and community and protect tribal sovereignty and gaming.
“We educate and advocate and do it in a respectful way. No matter what, whether our opponents are being disrespectful, we do this as statesmen.”
Stevens followed in the footsteps of his father, Ernie Stevens, Sr., who served as first vice president of the National Congress of American Indians and the first staff director for the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. His dad advocated for sovereignty, self-determination, self-governance, and Native rights for nearly half a century. Serving with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the elder Stevens was integral to changing the course of Indian policy from an era of termination to tribal self-determination, according to the Native American Hall of Fame.
Alvarez said carrying Chairman Stevens’s legacy is a tremendous responsibility. When she first got involved, Alvarez said the first question Stevens asked her was if she had a passion to serve.
“He made it very clear that it was absolutely necessary to serve Indian Country, because you’ll go through a lot of struggles and be opposed in many ways,” Alvarez said. “But if you have a strong passion to serve, like he did, that will carry you through. I did and still do. That’s how we connected.”
Alvarez said there was no distinction between the love he had for his family and Indian country. “He loved this industry and didn’t hold back that love. He was like a big papa bear. It was his big heart.
Alvarez said everyone in the room last night was there because Stevens touched their hearts.
“This is a testament to the legacy that he built. Remember the chairman’s ways. We’re stronger in numbers and we’re together. Let’s all do our role in carrying that legacy.”
