Even though Indian Country has advanced dramatically since the start of Native gaming, tribes still face significant legal and monetary challenges, leaders said today.
“It’s hard to see the horizon when there’s all this stuff going on in front of you,” said Mark Macarro, president of the National Council of American Indians and tribal chairman for the Pechanga Band of Indians. He cited ongoing legal challenges to tribal sovereignty, difficulties in providing law enforcement to keep tribal communities safe and welcoming for all, and uncertainty of congressional funding for crucial tribal operations. “These challenges are not going to end,” he added.
Macarro spoke on the first day of the Global Gaming Expo at the Venetian in Las Vegas during a panel discussion titled “Vision and Vigilance: Lessons from a Year of Change.” Ernie Stevens Jr., chairman of the Indian Gaming Association, and Denise Harvey, tribal council member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, were also on the panel. Victor Rocha, conference chairman of the Indian Gaming Association, moderated.
Tribal gaming set another record with almost $42 billion in revenue in fiscal 2023, IGA announced in June. Although tribal operators lag commercial casinos in offering sportsbooks and online gaming because of sovereignty concerns, Stevens said, “I think we’re ready for this, because we fought for this for so many years. IGRA (the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) was built for us to have to have the ability to adjust with the times. Not only do we adjust, but we are ready for this.”
Harvey said her tribe’s Spirit Mountain Casino, the largest casino in Oregon, has seen its customer base shift to a much younger demographic. The company recently added a Top Golf outlet and building on the popularity of camping in the area, it now offers an RV park. Its five tiny homes for visitors are booked so often that more might be constructed.
“In general, Indian gaming has a great reputation,” she said. She noted that an endowment fund set up years ago by tribal elders allowed Spirit Mountain to continue paying employee salaries during the COVID shutdown and 10 percent of casino profits still go into the endowment to cover emergency expenses or reductions in federal benefits. “People value and appreciate the work that we do in our businesses. With the devastation that we’ve all seen throughout the country, people have a different level of appreciation for where our money is going.”
Macarro said a big difference for tribes over the past 30 years “is that we managed to press ourselves into spaces where we haven’t been before.” For example, the U.S. Treasury Department is rewriting decades-old language about how it deals with tribes. “They’re almost being written as if a tribal leader was in charge of the process,” he said, referring to Chief Lynn Malerba, U.S. treasurer.
Stevens said tribes’ voices have become magnified by the rise of tribal CEOs and their teams, including those working on casino floors, as well as by those in other facets of the gaming industry. Now, tribes need “young folks” to take the lead.
“Don’t accept the role of ‘going-to-be-future leaders,’” he advised. “It’s time to lead now. You don’t have to be on a tribal council or gaming commission to take a leadership role. We’re all educators, we’re all teachers, and we’re all leaders.”
Stevens also emphasized the importance of gaming in providing government services for tribes, including schools, health care, and infrastructure such as roads, houses, and sewer and water systems.
“Our tribal enterprises pay $10 billion in taxes. Our tribal gaming money is a 100 percent tax and a service that we provide to our members, our elders, our young people.”