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Pros And Cons Of The Indian Regulatory Gaming Act

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In 1988, the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act was passed (Sparks, 2017). This act allowed Native tribes to create gaming halls and casinos in spite of state laws (aside from complete disallowance of gambling, as in the case of Utah) (Sparks, 2017). However, the act also put in place rules to regulate class III gaming (casinos) (Sparks, 2017). These rules established that Native casinos may only use the gained funds for certain pursuits, such as economic development or donations to charities, and must have their financial plans approved by the state (Sparks, 2017). The act’s hope in this regard was to prevent corruption and unsavory developments (Sparks, 2017). Because the Indian Regulatory Gaming Act is a policy enforced on tribes by the federal …show more content…

To begin with, funds distributed to tribe members from casinos has resulted in an increased dependency among recipients (“Of Slots,” 2015). Drug and alcohol abuse can be common on Native reservations, which makes keeping a steady job difficult for many residents (“Of Slots,” 2015). As per capita gaming payments have increased, more and more Natives have fallen into a pattern of apathy (“Of Slots,” 2015). Discouraged from traditional means of income, they rely primarily on the money paid to them through casinos (“Of Slots,” 2015). Despite the initial goal of using gaming income to aid Native economies, instead the disbursement of checks has become a disincentive for many Natives to pursue monetary gains …show more content…

Disputes between a customer and a Native casino cannot be appealed through filing suit in court in the traditional manner (Melia, 2015). It is true that certain U.S. laws still apply on tribal territory, but many do not (Arut, 2017). In particular, tribal casinos are “immune” to laws against discrimination and cases of partiality (Arut, 2017). While it is necessary for tribes to have such immunity as they are, to some extent, sovereign, it is concerning that the main set of customers of the Native casinos, U.S. citizens, are not legally protected from

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