| So that is the opportunity. If things are going sour for you in Nevada, New Jersey, and Illinois because of taxes, or in Colorado, Mississippi or Indiana because of the threat of slots in the streets, take your dividends and go to England and buy a soccer team and build a casino. But be careful, not all teams or all locations are the same. Oh, and the Premiership is not the only league, nor are the teams always in the best locations. "Grandfather of Indian Gaming" to run for council The former chairman of an Upper Peninsula Indian tribe who was convicted of accepting bribes and evading taxes in a scheme involving casino slot machines plans to run for the tribal council. Fred Dakota, the former chairman of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, says a threat to the sovereignty of the tribe is the main reason he will seek a spot on the council in an election in December. Dakota, known as the "Grandfather of Indian Gaming," started the first American Indian gaming operation in this country from the garage of his home in the late 1970s. His tribe has been involved in a tax dispute with the state of Michigan in recent years, and Dakota said that's the main reason he is running for office. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7-18-03 July, more than any month in 2003, shows gaming as a mature industry. Gaming has become a commodity, or almost. Gaming is readily available to every interested consumer. As typical of a commodity, it is an industry driven more by price than brand loyalty. Competition and not innovation drive change, margins are decreasing and the growth rate is very close to the GNP; "Don't invest in new venture, just give me dividends." Maturity produces some strange alliances and unusual bedfellows as the major players fight off would be competitors. In a mature world, Heidi Fleiss finds she has an Indian grandmother; Harry Reid moves into the National Indian Gaming Association offices, Terry Lanni discovers Manchester United, though sadly for us after Beckham has moved off to Spain, and governors across the land find gold under the flap of the tepee. However, regardless of the alliance or bedfellow, in most cases, the taxman still has to be paid and the levy is going up. Lest we begin to think the whole recall "thing" is simply California gone California on itself, one should remember that in Washington the tribes were the deciding factor in the defeat of a long-time US Senator. And at least one of the Democratic presidential hopefuls has begun trying to defend his position and win tribal support. As former Vermont Governor Howard Dean continues to lead the pack of Democratic presidential candidates, his stance on Native American issues is coming under increased scrutiny in Indian Country. Advisors defended the candidate's opposition to Indian gaming during a conference call with the Native American Times Thursday. Jeff Benay is chairman of the Vermont Governor's Advisory Commission on Native American Affairs, a cabinet position formed before Dean took office. He says Dean is sympathetic to Indian issues, but worries about the effect gaming has on tribes, as well as the atmosphere it brings. "His (Dean's) record is consistent in his opposition to gaming. Howard Dean has never supported gaming in the state of Vermont," said Benay. "We can talk about the very few tribes who have done well with gaming, but overwhelmingly tribes have suffered miserably by hiring unscrupulous consultants in their gaming operations." Sam Lewin, Native Times, 8-15-03 |
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