USA: CASINOS PROVIDING A SOURCE OF WEALTH FOR NATIVE AMERICANS

English/Nat

It’s been referred to as “the new Buffalo…”

Across the United States, casinos are offering an unprecedented supply of wealth and safety for Native American Indian tribes.

As a end result, Native American tradition is being revitalised.

But their newfound success faces recent threats from states and lawmakers who say the Indians have gone too far.

Just a decade in the past, this was a number of the poorest land within the nation.

This is the Pechanga Indian reservation in Southern California.

Like many reservations across the United States, the tribe resisted makes an attempt to assimilate with the surface world.

Ironically, because of their independence, the area turned a backwater of poverty, suffering from unemployment and illness.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
“The tribes were like a third world country with nothing, no water, very little water, poor plumbing even, dirt roads and no lighting”
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Todd, Pechanga Tribal Council Member

That all modified when the Pechanga’s adopted the lead of some fellow Native American tribes, and opened a on line casino.

It’s been dubbed “the new Buffalo”, the subsequent saviour of Native Americans.

From the time of the primary on line casino on Native American land greater than a decade in the past, the on line casino enterprise has became a 7 (b) billion U-S dollar-a-year business.

And regardless of early resistance amongst many older tribal members who opposed the thought of playing on tribal property, there’s little query that gaming has been good for Native American tribes.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
“The people’s standard of living, I believe, has improved substantially. We now have instead of dirt roads, paved roads, we have infrastructure that we didn’t have before”
SUPER CAPTION: Skip Hayward, Chairman, Pequot Tribe

Skip Hayward is the tribal chairman of the Pequot Indians of Connecticut.

They run the Foxwoods Casino – the most important on line casino within the U-S, and extra worthwhile than any in Las Vegas. It’s thought-about the playing capital of the world.

Across the nation casinos are main money cows, raking in an unprecedented supply of revenue for a lot of Native America tribes.

Most of that cash is re-invested into the reservation to fund faculties and well being clinics, and to usually bolster the usual of dwelling.

Tribes just like the Mississippi Choctaw have arrange new companies on their land, offering jobs for each tribal member who needs one.

These new alternatives are bringing individuals again house to the reservations, to reside, work, and lift their youngsters as Native Americans.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
“It’s brought us all back to the tribe and I know this isn’t just for my family but others as well. It’s given us the opportunity to come back from Pechanga and live in this area, and if not in a reservation, and provide us with an income.”
SUPER CAPTION: Darlene Sotelo, Pechanga Tribal Member

But throughout the U-S, tribes say their newfound success is threatened by legislators and state governments who need to take all of it away.

Opponents of tribal casinos say they do not need a proliferation of casinos and playing machines with out some controls.

And some governors – like California’s Pete Wilson – are threatening to close down casinos until concessions are made to the states.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
“What we wanted was that there be an overall limit on the number of devices statewide that are operated by three tribes because this places a restraint on gaming in California, so that California does not become a casino state”.
SUPER CAPTION: Daniel Kolkey, Governor’s Secretary of Legal Affairs

Federal law says tribes should attain a legal settlement with their state earlier than they will function casinos.

Without that – they are saying – they’re again at sq. one.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

You can license this story by way of AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/91429e6b8c552cf1456b841332bad56c
Find out extra about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

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