When you hear of native Americans, what comes to your mind first? Citizens of America? Well, you are not wrong, but the answer you need is much more specific than that. American Indians are often called native Americans. However, “Indian” doesn’t mean the tribe is 100% associated with the country. Therefore, to make things more general, it was changed to Native American. With that settled, let’s go into today’s casino news where we’ll be highlighting a few things to know about Native American casinos.
Native American Casinos: Gaming With a Cultural Twist
The Native American casinos began in the 1970s. At that time, most Native Americans lived in areas that lacked resources that could contribute to economic development. So, the community leaders took it upon themselves to find a means to raise funds. Among them was Fort McDowell, who established a bingo hall in 1984 to generate revenue for the community. Customers, including high-stakes players, began to visit the hall.
What created the enabling environment for Native American casinos to date was the decision made by the Supreme Court, and the Regulator Act passed in 1988. The court ruled in 1976 that the state could not assess personal taxes on establishments owned by the natives. Also, in 1987, it was ruled that Native American lands were free of state regulations. Then, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act passed in 1988 gave the natives and others the ground to thrive in the United States gaming sector.