The Native Blog

Tribe's casino takeover date set

Prairie Band Potawatomi Casino takeover date set: July 1st.

49 Song

On Channel 49: They say the tribe is unhappy with gambling expansion!

"Why let Indians make all the Money"

From Eddie Joe's Blog

"why let indians make all the money?"

"that was one comment made after the kansas senate passed a bill that allows for expanded gambling in the state. it was an amendment to an original bill that will continue the state lottery. the state already has gambling. lottery and scratch off tickets can be bought anywhere in the state including convenience and grocery stores. there are horse and dog tracks in the state also.

the bill will allow 4 destination casinos upon an approval vote of the counties involved. it will also permit the racing tracks to have slots. the bill is seen by some as a bailout for the kansas racing industry, which has lost money. the kansas governor says she will sign the bill because it keeps the money in the state. the $200 million in projected yearly revenue will go toward state debt and fund state employee retirements and state buildings that need repair. some estimate the universities in the state need about $700 million worth of work. lawmakers didnt address this as a problem but use it as a reason for increased gaming.

its not a cowboy and indian thing. the revenue produced by indian casinos has benefitted the state and indian alike. it has a ripple effect. the counties that relied on a sagging farm economy were revived by indian casinos. many jobs were created for everyone by indian gaming. indian casinos bought products from kansas vendors.

the national indian gaming act was passed because many indian tribes didnt have much needed money. they relied on government grants, which amounted to handouts. it has allowed tribes to create much needed jobs. roads have been improved. among the new additions created by gaming dollars were new homes, office buildings, a new pow wow grounds, fire department, police department and child care center. churches on the rez were repaired.  programs received additional money to provide increased services.these things werent readily available before gaming. millions were given in charitable contributions to service programs, this saved the state money. the state and counties were reluctant to help the tribes. the county gave all kinds of excuses why they wouldnt fix reservation roads. the roads were used by county residents as well as indians. the police were slow to answer calls on the rez. on and on. when we were broke no one wanted to help us.

progress made by indian tribes has been resented by some and applauded by others. some people in kansas pointed fingers to draw attention to indians. now the attention will be on the state of kansas. will their own casinos make money. a buy in cost of $250 million will have to be recouped. will they be anything left after the states bereaucracy gets ahold of the new revenue. the present governor was re-elected on the statement her administration saved the state over a billion dollars. she said she did this by eliminating wasteful spending.

in an ironical twist, the prairie band potawatomi will challenge the ruling in the states district court. the issue is whether or not private owned companys can manage the casinos instead of the state. you can bet that a state that can change the law will change the law. one must remember that our tribe beat the state 3 times in district court over the license plate issue. it was only after the supreme court refused to hear the case, that the state accepted defeat.

what effect will this have on indians? who knows. we cant run for cover expecting the sky to fall. our revenues may decrease. or not. a study in another state says even with expanded gaming, most people will still frequent their favorite casino. will the gambling market become saturated. there are only so many dollars available for gambling. time will tell."

SmokeSignals

35th Annual Dance for Mother Earth This event expects to draw 10,000 people to Crisler Arena at the University of Michigan this weekend.

Ojibwe Author to appear at UW-S  Winona LaDuke will discuss her new book: "Recovering the Sacred." April 3rd.

American Indian Wisdom can help non-Indian veterans  "A scholar of  American Indian studies wants to see American Indian rituals inspire non-Indians to develop their own rituals to welcome home war veterans and help curb post-traumatic stress disorder among war veterans."

Ana Castillo: Reading and Signing  April 12, University of Minnesota, Campus Club, 412 Coffman Union, Minneapolis Campus. Reading and Signing 7:00 PM.

Challenge to gambling expansion expected

Challenge expected in Gambling Expansion

 

Gambling Expansion In Kansas...

Gambling expansion approved in Kansas Senate goes to the Governor! & Sebelius confirms she'll sign casino bill!

"But the Prairie Band Potawatomi, which operates a resort casino north of Topeka, will challenge the law once it's enacted because it violates the Kansas Constitution, said tribal chairwoman Tracy Stanhoff.

"I think we've been sideswiped. The state has been taken in the wrong direction," Stanhoff said, adding the legislation "will severely impact our operation."

Badger on State Gaming.

On Native America Calling

On Native America Calling

"Book of the Month - “The Wonder Bull” by Ojibwe author Mark Anthony Rolo is the story of one man’s search for his tribal identity. Martin is an emotionally disabled young man who wants nothing more than to get in touch with his tribal roots back in Oklahoma."

"We have gone to the dark side"

From Eddie Joe's blog

"we have gone to the dark side"

"those are the words of a republican representive after the kansas house approved expanded gaming. he went on to say "an ominous cloud has now covered kansas, and it will never go away". damn, i wonder what will happen if it passes the senate. the senate president says they are 20 votes shy of passing the measure.

if the bill passes the senate and is signed by the governor it will allow for four 'destination' casinos and slots at the racetracks. most gambling is done by people in the vicinity of the casino. i can hear it now "pack up the kids, we going on vacation to kansas so we can gamble". the racetracks have lost money, they will have to figure out a way to lose added revenue.

the debate on the measure was interesting. opponents said gaming interest donations swayed some to vote yes. others said those that voted no accepted money from indian gaming interests. really now, you mean that legislators can be influenced by outside money?

one representative said we already have gaming, 'the question is whether or not kansas is going to get any of the benefits'. another representative said 'we're losing so much money to casinos in missouri and oklahoma and to the indian casinos in kansas'.

some question the constitutionality of the measure. they say the kansas constitution approves a state owned and operated lottery.  this is a state owned casino that is managed by someone else. developers would pay a $25 million fee and invest at least $225 million. they will get their money back first. if they want to point at indians, maybe they ought to see that an outside management gets to take theirs off the top. after the management group makes payouts and takes expenses out, tribes get to divide what is left. kansas will learn that in a hurry.

opponents of the bill predict grief from expanded gaming including addiction. yes that is possible. we know sale of booze can cause alcoholism. we know the sale of tobacco products can contribute to cancer. cars are involved in accidents. we sell them anyway. its all about profit. others say gambling will hurt the poor. if we are concerned about the poor, then raise the minimum wage. and provide more opportunities. legislators get raises every year and a righteous retirement.

it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. expanded gaming has failed for the past 13 years. some people see that indian tribes have made a profit from gaming.  they want a piece of the action. if they cant take it from indians, then they will compete for the gaming dollar.

nevada has casinos side by side. increased competition may provide better gaming facilities and/or bigger payouts. who knows? maybe the revenue indians are making will decrease. some tribes are rich, some arent. the indian bureaucracy swallows up most of the profit. the kansas bureaucracy will do the same. that leaves the question, how will the average citizen--indian or kansan--benefit. or not benefit."

Kansas House approves gaming legislation

Some legislators say expanded gambling will be bad for state.

Tribe becomes target

In fight over casino bid, ads attack Mohegan

"With Dennis Troha out of the picture as the driving force behind the Menominee tribe's bid to open a casino in Kenosha, the Potawatomi tribe is launching a new offensive aimed at derailing the Kenosha deal. 

The target of the new attack ads by a Potawatomi-financed group: the Connecticut-based Mohegan tribe, which last month bought out the now-indicted Troha's interest in the proposed Kenosha casino.

Television and print ads claiming the Mohegan would siphon money out of Wisconsin began running in the Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay markets over the weekend. The Mohegan tribe is financing and would be managing the Kenosha casino that the northern Wisconsin-based Menominee tribe hopes to own.

"But make no mistake, sending Wisconsin casino profits to Connecticut just isn't in the best interests of our state," the print ad charges . "Wasn't the point of Wisconsin Indian gaming to help Wisconsin, not tribes in Connecticut?"