As of 2005, American Indian gaming statistics indicate that there were approximately 360 American Indian gaming establishments in the United States. Other tribal venues, including the Nisqually Red Wind Casino, are still waiting for their new sports betting agreements with Washington state to be finalized. The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) enabled development of more lucrative casino-style gaming facilities (Class III) after that date, the prevalence of these facilities increased rapidly.
In the meantime, sports betting operations are up and running in some locations in Washington, including one of the most visible, the Emerald Queen Casino on I-5 South of Seattle. “What they're saying is we've taken 99 percent of what Indian tribes and Indian people had, and the 1 percent that's left protected by federal Indian law, we're coming for that next,” he said.įor his part, Persson says he expects the case to eventually make it to the U.S. “Ultimately these theories are existential threats to Indian tribes around the country,” Fletcher said.įletcher also points out that, prior to colonization, all of what is now the U.S.
Supreme Court has agreed to hear that case.įletcher argues both cases are part of a larger, conservative legal attack on tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. That act says tribes have jurisdiction over adoptions or foster placements involving Native children. As it turns out, the firm bringing the lawsuit for Maverick Gaming, Gibson Dunn, has made a similar argument about race and tribal rights in a legal case that challenges the Indian Child Welfare Act.
