ABSTRACT
Future historians might someday conclude that passage of the American Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 was the most significant event in Native American history during the late twentieth century. This chapter shows that the recent history of Indian gaming provides powerful evidence that his doubts were misplaced. The early evidence from the testimony of the participants was that gaming was an economic development in and of itself and, as a multiplier, a source for further economic developments in areas surrounding the tribe which owned the casino. Indian economic development is closely tied to self-determination, while Indian economic undevelopment is tied to the structure of the nations political economy and to the unique niche that tribes occupy by law and by context in that economy. The National Indian Gaming Commission, established by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, requires all Indian casinos to submit annual audits and background investigations of key employees.
