New Scholarship on Tribal Gaming Revenue Allocation Plans

Thaddieus W. Conner and William A. Taggart have published “Indian Gaming and Tribal Revenue Allocation Plans: Socio-economic determinants of policy adoption” in the Social Science Journal. Here is the abstract:

As the Indian gaming industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the past two decades, tribes have pursued different paths regarding the utilization of gaming revenues within parameters established by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Since 1993, more than 100 tribes have received approval through the Department of the Interior to distribute revenues directly to tribal members through per capita payments governed by a Tribal Revenue Allocation Plan (RAP). This paper improves our understanding of nations with payment plans by exploring whether socio-economic tribal features are associated with the successful adoption of a RAP. We find that tribes who gained approval of a RAP in the 1990s have higher per capita incomes, while also having smaller populations and lower levels of educational attainment. Population is the strongest predictor of RAP adoptions in both the 1990s and 2000s, with the impact of other tribal features being less meaningful in explaining adoption in the second decade.

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Article on the Impact of New Mexico Indian Gaming & Crime

In short, not much. From the article, “evidence of a measurable impact of casino gambling on crime is inconclusive.” And, “While there may be a perceived increase in crime by the public, it cannot be attributed directly to the state’s casinos.” However, it seems clear that the researchers here looked hard to find a link and are no friends to Indian gaming. It appears their research started with the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study Commission Report — anti-tribal gaming as anything — and went from there.