It is a widely known fact that Southwest Indians have a rich and unique culture which defines their outstanding mentality. However, they actually suffered from the unemployment which forced them to take measures to survive. That is why, native Indians made an attempt to establish casinos which could enable them to make money easily. Honestly, such process was not that easy, thus there were a lot of obstacles on their way to success but still their common efforts contributed to the rise of casino industry.
To begin with, it should be noted that due to several crucial reasons, establishing casinos was a complicated task for native Indians and they had to struggle for a long time. For instance, they were not allowed to concentrate their casinos on reservation lands as it was prohibited by the law. Though, there was adopted so-called Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which permitted Indians to establish casinos on such lands. It was considered to be their small achievement. What is more, native Indians finally made their financial situation better and got rid of the status of impoverished tribe. As a result, “the number of casinos was growing constantly resulting in huge profits made by the native Indians”(Rand 86).
Moreover, the representatives of the casinos strived to legislate their business and reduce the amount of taxes they had to pay. They met with the members of Congress and expressed their concerns in order to get new rights(Walker 123). As a result, they gained some limited rights to continue gaming operations but they had to follow the regulations strictly. According to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribal gaming was considered to be the main way of making profits by native Indians and promoting economic development of casino industry. Besides, it is worth mentioning that not all the tribes were able to get a gaming license that is why it normally applied to Indian casinos. Thus, the industry of native Indians rose to new heights while enabling them to reduce the rates of unemployment and fight against their poverty.
By contrast, native Americans did not put a lot of effort to establish their own casinos that is why the profits from them are not so valuable for them now. Of course, they took measures to get a permission to open a casino but leading such business do not have a favorable impact on the Americans as the nation. So, on the one hand, native Americans are able to make money easy but the only thing is to have their casino permitted by the law. Thus, it is considered to be a reliable source of employment for the Americans who seek for job. However, some people suppose that making money from a casino industry is not the honest way at all. On the other hand, there are some drawbacks of leading such kind of business since it does not stimulate the owners of the casinos work hard as they get money without putting a lot of efforts. As a result, they become lazy and the productivity of their work greatly decreases causing alcohol abuse as well as other problems that do not contribute to their desire to work.
To sum up, it should be underlined that due to Indians’ perseverance, they managed to get rid of unemployment in order to live to the fullest and participate fully in the society. The state and federal government helped them achieve their goals to overcome poverty and get some freedom. Therefore, casino industry may be considered to be the main way for the native Indians to raise their economy as well as well-being since these factors lay a foundation for their successful life.
- Hsu, Cathy H.C. Legalized Casino Gaming in the United Sates: the Economic and Social Impact. Routledge, 2014.
- Light, S.A., Rand, Kathryn R.L. Indian Gaming& Tribal Sovereignty: casino compromise. University Press of Kansas, 2005.
- Walker Douglas M. The Economics of Casino Gambling. Springer science& Business Media, 2007.