Yesterday, the Department of Interior released Secretary Salazar's memo detailing the Department's approach to Indian gaming generally, and to gaming on newly acquired lands specifically.  Here's our take on the Secretary's memo.  First, a lot of folks, both inside and outside Indian Country, are relieved to finally see some action on Indian gaming issues from the Obama administration. It's been 18 months of almost total silence on Indian gaming, one of the most important issues for many tribes across the U.S.

As part of Kathryn's Indian Gaming Law course at UND School of Law this summer, law students have the opportunity to post as guest bloggers.  Today's post is by second-year law student Stephen Larson:

Various interests groups have voiced opposition to the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians’ new casino gaming operation proposal in the Jones County community of Sandersville, MS.
 

Kathryn participated in a "roundtable" discussion of hot topics in tribal gaming for a future issue of the Gaming Law Review&Economics.  Other roundtable panelists were attorneys Heidi Staudenmaier, Mike McBride, and Gabe Galanda.  Steve Zweig, the new managing editor for GLRE, moderated the roundtable.  Topics included off-reservation gaming, land acquisition, revenue sharing, and the NIGC.  Look for a transcript of the roundtable discussion in the next issue of the GLRE.

Steve presented at Perspectives on Tribal Land Acquisition in 2010: A Call to Action, a symposium sponsored by the Center for Indian Law and Policy at Seattle University School of Law.

As part of Kathryn's Indian Gaming Law course this summer at UND School of Law, law students in the course will occasionally appear as guest bloggers on Indian Gaming Now.  Today's student guest blogger is third-year law student Meg Morley:

This is a very interesting article from the Cape Cod Times, and very relevant to our class discussion from Monday.

Kathryn's Indian Gaming Law course at UND School of Law starts today.  (Steve taught Indian Gaming and American Politics as an upper-level undergraduate political science course at UND this spring.)  Here are the topics we're covering, using Light&Rand, Indian Gaming & Tribal Sovereignty: The Casino Compromise and Rand & Light, Indian Gaming Law: Cases and Materials:

I.  Indian Gaming in Context
A.  What is Indian Gaming?
B.  Gambling Law and Regulation
C.  Tribal Governments in the American Political System

The NIGC's annual report of tribal gaming revenue indicated that the industry held steady in 2009 with $26.5 billion in revenue, down only slightly from $26.7 billion in 2008.  The report also indicates that some other features of the industry have held relatively constant.  The top revenue earners continue to dominate industry profits, with 5% of operations earning nearly 40% of total industry revenue.  These are the heavy hitters, with revenues exceeding $250 million annually.  On the other end of what we call the spectrum of success are the operations with modest-at-best profits: 55% of operations earn only 7% of the industry's total revenue.  These are casinos earning less than $25 million each year, often just enough to keep the doors open, provide jobs, and g