London School of Economics hosts a discussion on Self Determination and Economic Development: Tribal Gaming in the U.S.
National Indian Gaming Association Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr., joins representatives of the London School of Economics after the tribal gaming session.
Closing NIGA’s first day of business in London, was participation in a discussion organized by Professor Leigh Gardner which compared gaming’s evolution in the United Kingdom and contrasted it with Tribal Government Gaming in the United States. Carolyn Downs from the University of Lancaster started the discussion with an overview of the history of the British Gaming Industry. She discussed the impacts of religion and public morality and how it led to legislation. Leighton Vaughan Williams of Nottingham Trent University then spoke on Betting Taxation in the United Kingdom. He explained how the betting tax introduced from 1926-1960 on bookmakers by Churchill was unpopular, difficult to enforce and ineffective. In 1966 a new tax was reintroduced and was able to enforced and was more effective than the earlier tax. Off shore betting began in 2000 and gambling increased opportunities to avoid taxation. In 2003 there was a change to Gross Profit Tax (GPT) which was successful; bingo, pools betting & betting exchanges were included. Gaming machines remained outside the new tax regime, then in 2009/2010 gaming machines moved to GPT and eventually led to an increase in the number of machines allowable as the tax criteria was believed to be efficient, fair and able to maintain international competitiveness. Dr. Gardner then gave a historical overview of gaming in the United States and then Indian Gaming. At the end of her
presentation she stressed the need for statistical information from Tribes in order to show the impacts that Tribal Gaming has had, not only on Indian Communities, but Tribal Citizens lives and those communities that surround tribal casinos. Lastly, a Panel discussed Tribal Gaming and Development Today. Derrick Watchman, Ernie Stevens, Jr. and Victor Rocha were panelists. They discussed how Tribes strived to get the most for their communities at the onset of Indian gaming and how important it was to think about the next seven generations as compacts were being negotiated with States. The benefits of Indian Gaming were also discussed and how having the Gaming Industry throughout Indian Country spread the wealth and strengthened Tribal economies with and beyond gaming and to Tribal Nations without a significant gaming impact. The transformational and life-changing impacts that spreading the wealth through Indian Gaming meant to Native Nations and communities in education, social services, community development were also discussed. To wrap up the conversation, the panelists talked about the continuing needs in Indian Country from infrastructure, to economic development and coming back full circle; to the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual livelihood of Native people that has been neglected for so many generations.
3 | INDIAN GAMING UPDATE - MID YEAR EDITION 2019
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online