Since Congress passed the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the number of tribes operating gaming on their lands has risen to 223. It now appears that several would like to expand their operations outside the traditional boundaries and compete in additional areas, just as any other casino company. Last year revenues from the 411 Indian casinos were up 10% from 2003 and amounted to $18.5 billion, nearly double the profits made in Nevada.

At present there has been no expansion by the tribes outside their own territory and some legal complications would have to be resolved before there could be. However, the Eastern Shawnee tribe can see no legal impediment to their plans and have already reached an agreement in principle with the authorities in Monroe, Cincinnati in the state of Ohio. Projects include the construction of a casino by the I-75 highway with an investment of $750 million, and another for $145 million near Botkin between Dayton and Toledo.

The Eastern Shawnee is not the only tribe with aspirations of taking its operations beyond the homelands. The Wyandot has plans for the construction of four casinos in the north of Ohio, which should generate 3,000 jobs and some $1 billion in revenue, and see the state’s coffers get an extra $100 million yearly. The Seneca-Cayuga of Oklahoma could be the first tribe to open a casino outside its territory, with a project in the Catskills of the state of New York. The Ottawas, also of Oklahoma, want to reclaim ancestral land in Ohio and build a casino.

The casinos within tribal reservations throughout the United States pay no state or local taxes. Over half the federally recognized tribes operate gambling venues and it is estimated that they employ half a million people, mostly from outside the tribal community. The taxes paid in 2004 to the Federal Government reached $5.5 billion. (E-02.16.05)

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