Gaming and displacement: winners and losers in American Indian casino development

The importance of location and scale in rural and small town tourism product development: The case of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Manitoba, Canada

“…Beyond the obvious concerns about gambling addictions, other concerns have been identified, including commodification of culture as casino development in non‐urban North America is often Indigenous‐owned and/or operated (Carmichael et al ; Gabe et al ; Long ; Spears and Boger, ; Conner and Taggart ; Belanger and Williams ). The challenge is the sustainability of such development within the broader community, related to gambling (i.e., local gambling addictions versus non‐local tourism gambling) (Gonzales ).…”

“…in non-urban North America is often Indigenousowned and/or operated (Carmichael et al 1996;Gabe et al 1996;Long 1996;Spears and Boger, 2002;Conner and Taggart 2009;Belanger and Williams 2012). The challenge is the sustainability of such development within the broader community, related to gambling (i.e., local gambling addictions versus non-local tourism gambling) (Gonzales 2003). The festival and event sector has been successful for many rural and small town areas.…”

Indian Country Poverty: Place‐Based Poverty on American Indian Territories, 2006–10

“…One notable development strategy that has emerged and gained widespread popularity with many tribal governments over the past 30 years is tribal government gaming (or Indian gaming, as it is known in public discourse). Gaming is one of the fastest growing and most profitable industries in much of rural America today (Cattelino ; Gonzales ; Siegel and Anders ; Wenz ). As the popularity of tribal government gaming grew, so too did the opposition, culminating in the passage of the (still contested) Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).…”

“…By 2009, the figures had increased to 237 tribal governments operating Class III gaming, $26.2 billion in gaming revenues, and 628,000 jobs directly and indirectly generated (NIGA ). Gonzales () asserted that many reservation communities have used the gaming industry to reverse historical cycles of marginalization and impoverishment and that the industry has enabled native people to experience sustained prosperity and political empowerment not known since colonization. The use of tribal gaming as a strategy for community development represents part of tribal governments’ continuing efforts to overcome the pervasive effects of reservation poverty, racism, and structural violence as well as assert to tribal sovereignty and political, economic, and cultural autonomy (Cattelino ; Mason ).…”

Manufacturing regional disparity in the pursuit of economic equality: Alberta's First Nations Gaming Policy, 2006–2010

“…For example, substantial improvements have been identified in Arizona and New Mexico's gaming reservations compared to non‐gaming communities (Jojola and Ong 2006; Gonzales et al 2007). Significant unemployment reductions in host reservations have been noted (Murray 1993; Cozzetto 1995; Cornell et al 1998) as have noteworthy employment and income gains (Cozzetto 1995; Anders 1996; d’Hauteserre 1998; Ninokawa 2002; Evans and Topoleski 2003; Gonzales 2003; Spilde et al 2003; Topoleski 2003; Fenelon 2006; Kim 2006; Wenz 2006, 2008; Reagan and Gitter 2007; Conner and Taggart 2009).…”