MACAU’S GAMING CONCESSIONS AND INDIAN GAMING IN THE U.S.: DEVELOPING POLICY-DRIVEN FRAMEWORKS TO REGULATE GAMING

Session Title

Session 1-2-C: Tribal Discussions

Presentation Type

Event

Location

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Start Date

28-5-2019 11:00 AM

End Date

28-5-2019 12:25 PM

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Gaming Law | Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law | International Business | Political Science | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Abstract

Abstract

Macau is the “gaming capital of the world.” After just 18 years of gaming in its modern era, Macau’s 41 casinos generate $33 billion in gaming revenue—a remarkable 70 percent of the city’s public funds.

Indian gaming in the U.S. has experienced similarly rapid growth under analogous circumstances, including outsize economic dependency and community impacts. In its three decades, Indian gaming has become a $32 billion industry with nearly 500 casinos operated by 242 American Indian tribes.

Although one might assume that Indian gaming and gaming in Macau could not be more different, we believe the similarities and potential lessons learned are striking. In this paper, we identify key points of comparison and difference between the Macau and U.S. gaming markets, focusing on the Indian gaming sector. We draw on lessons from both Macau and tribal gaming to advocate for legal and regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate achievement of public policy goals as well as profits.

Macau’s gaming concessions are slated to expire by 2022, creating a distinct opportunity to advance both public and private interests through legal and regulatory reform. Similarly, as legalized gambling continues to expand, U.S. jurisdictions have opportunities to consider policy-driven gaming laws and regulations.

Impact

This paper explores the previously unidentified comparisons between Macau’s gaming concessions model and the U.S. Indian gaming legal and regulatory framework. As Macau’s concessions for casino operations are scheduled to expire in 2020 and 2022, decision makers have an unprecedented opportunity to enhance the regulatory scheme for the betterment of the general public and commercial gaming interests alike. Drawing on both Macau and tribal gaming, this paper advocates for legal and regulatory frameworks that are designed to facilitate achievement of public policy goals through legalized gambling.

Keywords

Macau, Indian gaming, gaming concessions, gaming law, tribal casinos, American Indian

Author Bios

Short Bio

Kathryn R.L. Rand, J.D. and Steven Andrew Light, Ph.D. are Co-Directors of the Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law and Policy at the University of North Dakota (UND), the first university center dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of Indian gaming.

Rand is Floyd B. Sperry Professor and past Dean of the UND School of Law. Light is Professor of Political Science and past Interim Dean of the UND College of Business and Public Administration. They have authored some 50 publications exploring how tribal casinos have remade the legal, political, and regulatory landscape for gaming across the U.S. Their books include Indian Gaming and Tribal Sovereignty: The Casino Compromise, featured on C-SPAN’s Book TV.

Light and Rand have testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and serve on the Editorial Board of the Gaming Law Review. They have been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Indian Country Today.

Funding Sources

No external funding sources other than the University of North Dakota's ongoing support for our research in the form of our salaried faculty positions.

Competing Interests

None.

Comments

Looking forward to our fourth International! Thanks for your consideration!

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May 28th, 11:00 AM May 28th, 12:25 PM

MACAU’S GAMING CONCESSIONS AND INDIAN GAMING IN THE U.S.: DEVELOPING POLICY-DRIVEN FRAMEWORKS TO REGULATE GAMING

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Abstract

Macau is the “gaming capital of the world.” After just 18 years of gaming in its modern era, Macau’s 41 casinos generate $33 billion in gaming revenue—a remarkable 70 percent of the city’s public funds.

Indian gaming in the U.S. has experienced similarly rapid growth under analogous circumstances, including outsize economic dependency and community impacts. In its three decades, Indian gaming has become a $32 billion industry with nearly 500 casinos operated by 242 American Indian tribes.

Although one might assume that Indian gaming and gaming in Macau could not be more different, we believe the similarities and potential lessons learned are striking. In this paper, we identify key points of comparison and difference between the Macau and U.S. gaming markets, focusing on the Indian gaming sector. We draw on lessons from both Macau and tribal gaming to advocate for legal and regulatory frameworks designed to facilitate achievement of public policy goals as well as profits.

Macau’s gaming concessions are slated to expire by 2022, creating a distinct opportunity to advance both public and private interests through legal and regulatory reform. Similarly, as legalized gambling continues to expand, U.S. jurisdictions have opportunities to consider policy-driven gaming laws and regulations.

Impact

This paper explores the previously unidentified comparisons between Macau’s gaming concessions model and the U.S. Indian gaming legal and regulatory framework. As Macau’s concessions for casino operations are scheduled to expire in 2020 and 2022, decision makers have an unprecedented opportunity to enhance the regulatory scheme for the betterment of the general public and commercial gaming interests alike. Drawing on both Macau and tribal gaming, this paper advocates for legal and regulatory frameworks that are designed to facilitate achievement of public policy goals through legalized gambling.