Gambling In Native American Culture

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Gambling and gaming has been a big part of the culture of Native Americans. Games consist of dice activities, shell activities, archery competitions, races, and other games that deal with a form of gambling. But in the 1800’s Native Americans were moved to Indian Reservations by the federal government. As a result of this, most Natives were struggling as an economic system and limited with what they could do as a tribe. Most reservations today are in the wilderness and most Natives living on these reservations struggle with living. Tribes suffer from poverty, unemployment, lack of welfare services, poor schooling, alcoholism, and others. These examples are a sign of poverty and despair on Indian reservations.

Around the 1970’s and 1980’s was becoming big on reservations which generated profit and revenue within the Indian communities. But it was not until 1988 the United States federal law went into effect that governs and looks over Indian gaming regulations. But before that time, there was no governing law that looked over Indian gaming. Some states in the United States such as Florida and California made bingo legal, but these states had very strict rules and regulations. Some of these tribes in these states that made bingo legal did not follow these laws because they wanted to hold onto their tribal sovereignty. Over the years to come, Indian bingo started to emerge in other states such as New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, other states in the Midwest, and east coast states. Many government officials did not like seeing bingo emerging in these states because it decreased government gaming operations in these given states, but as for Native Americans gaming went up and brought revenue to tribes. Since the popularity of Indian gaming, there have been two major court cases that created the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. The two major court cases that created the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 were “Bryan v. Itasca County” and “California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians”. These two important cases and others cases were influenced by the Supreme Court that created the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. In 1976, a court case brought up by the United States Supreme Court called “Bryan v. Itasca County. The Supreme Court stated that a state does not have the right to tax property of Native Americans living on tribal land. This case goes on to say that the state of Minnesota taxed, Russell Bryan who owned a mobile home on Native American land. Also it goes on to say that Bryan at the time was an enrolled member of the Chippewa Native American Tribe. The Supreme Court states that a state or county of a state does not have the right to impose such a property of Natives living on reservations. The federal government has the right
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The Federal government created the Organized Crime Control Act that did not grant states the authority to regulate gambling on Indian reservations. In this case, gambling provided economic security and prosperity to the Cabazon and Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

Since the Indian Gaming Regulation Act went into effect, the Indian gaming industry is divided into three classes. They are known as Class I, Class II, and Class III gaming. The first class is defined as traditional tribal gaming and social gaming, with minimal prizes and nominal value. Also the first class was a form of traditional tribal gaming that connects with traditional native ceremonies and celebrations. Also, this class is in possession in tribal governments and not subject to Indian Gaming
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As of 2006, it was reported that $25.7 billion in gross revenue from Indian gaming. According to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), they reported at 5% increase in 2007 of $26 billion of gross revenue, due to the growth of Indian gaming and popularity. Also $3.2 billion of revenue was brought from hospitality and entertainment services (resorts, hotels/motels, restaurants, entertainment venues, etc…). Reported by the NIGC, 670,000 jobs all over the United States was given to natives due to the popular growth of Indian gaming. As a result of all of this, Indian gaming is a crucial and cultural aspect of Natives all over the United States because it preserves tradition, culture, and bring economic prosperity and success for Native American

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