Games of chance have been played for centuries by Native Americans. In guessing games such as hidden-ball game, stick game, moccasin game, and handgame, participants tried to guess the location of hidden objects, often betting prized possessions. Moreover, there were many different varieties of dice among Indian peoples. Pieces of wood, stone, bone, shell, reed, or fruit seeds were marked or numbered. Guessing games and dice games were often a part of harvest and renewal ceremonies. Indians also bet on footraces and horse races.
Modern Indian gaming for profit, because of laws promoting Indian sovereignty on reservations, has become one of the major areas of tribal economic development. The earliest form of public gaming on many reservations was bingo. In 1976, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that states have criminal and civil jurisdiction over Indian tribes but do not have regulatory powers over them. In 1987, the Supreme Court upheld a Florida ruling regarding the SEMINOLE, holding that because states lack regulatory authority on Indian lands, state laws against gambling cannot be enforced against tribes. Then in 1988, Congress passed the Indian Gambling Regulatory Act, granting tribes the right to pursue compacts with states for high-stakes gaming if the activity is not prohibited by federal or state laws. The National Indian Gaming Commission was established to ensure that the tribes and not individuals would profit from the gambling. Indian tribes thus had the right to purchase additional lands and start businesses on them that also become exempt from federal taxes. Many tribes have pursued the new potential for revenue. In some instances, tribal traditionalists have opposed the building of casinos on Indian lands because of the resulting cultural and environmental impact. They make the case that Native Americans are stewards of the land and should not develop it for the leisure industry.
After having reached a compact with the state of Con-necticut—which included a provision that slot machines would be permitted if $1 million a year was donated from gambling profits to a state fund for helping troubled communities—the Mashantucket Pequot, with funds from international investors, constructed the Fox-woods Resort and Casino. It opened in 1992 and soon became more profitable than any one casino in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. The tribe has managed its revenues well, providing solid income for individual tribal members and reinvesting in a cultural center, museum, and other projects furthering the Pequot identity.
World History
