Hometown News Highlight

Our hometown newspaper, the Grand Forks Herald, featured us on the front page this past Sunday. In a fairly wide-ranging piece, we opine about the future of Indian gaming in tough economic times.

And we're pictured in the new Gambling Behavior Lab at the University of North Dakota's Northern Plains Center for Behavioral Research. What a photo!

Read more here: HIGH-ROLLING ACADEMICS: UND professors study Indian gaming

Indian Gaming and the Economy

Economist Alan Meister, author of the Indian Gaming Industry Report, says that Indian gaming growth has slowed in recent years.

Because of the current recession, there is short-term uncertainty at least through 2009, he predicts. Long-term uncertainty, says Meister, is caused less by the economic climate and more by the legal and political climates. Non-market factors, such as legal challenges, or proposed or new regulations and statutes, can have the effect of slowing the industry's growth. Additionally, points out Meister, increased competition from the expansion of tribal gaming or other legalized gaming could slow market growth or even saturate the market. (We've been working with Alan on a forthcoming article titled, "Indian Gaming and Beyond: Tribal Economic Development and Diversification.")

Find information on the Indian Gaming Industry Report here. We'll again be posting on the impacts of the recession on tribal gaming shortly.

Is Industry Growth for Indian Gaming Taking a Downturn?

After a short holiday break, we better get right back to it!

After years and years of rapid growth that has outpaced the legalized gambling industry more generally, is Indian gaming revenue heading for a downturn?

According to Lyle Brennan, CEO of Lakes Entertainment, Inc., "Indian gaming is not a growth business." Lakes Entertainment hasn't signed a management deal with a tribal casino in three years.

Of course, IGRA's limitations on management contracts are meant to encourage tribes to operate their own casinos. Under IGRA, management contracts must be approved by the NIGC, and may run only for 5 years (or 7 years in extraordinary circumstances). Additionally, new tribal casinos may be more likely to require approval for gaming on newly acquired lands -- meaning that the opening of the casino is less of a sure thing.

Yet with the recent agreement negotiated between the Seminoles and Governor Crist of Florida to move forward with Class III gaming, there should be more growth in that state – assuming the political and legal wrangling over the compact eventually comes to a halt.

Read more here.

International Attention Paid to Indian Gaming

The National Indian Gaming Commission's release of 2006 tribal gaming revenue has spurred coverage of Indian gaming in the U.S. around the world. Here's a sampling of some recent articles:

Financial Times (London)

Malaysia Star

Toronto Star


Historically, when's the last time any policy issue concerning American Indian received coverage like this in publications abroad? How about never?