Casino Diplomacy in Minnesota: Lessons from America’s First Tribal Casino Compacts

Session Title

Session 1-4-D: Policy and Regulation, Part 3

Presenters

Theodor Gordon, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow
Savannah Supan, College of St. BenedictFollow

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation

Location

Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV

Start Date

23-5-2023 3:45 PM

End Date

23-5-2023 5:15 PM

Disciplines

American Politics | Indigenous Studies | Native American Studies | Oral History | Social and Cultural Anthropology

Abstract

In 1987, the United States Supreme Court affirmed that tribal governments can legalize and regulate gambling as they see fit. The following year, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which imposed that tribal governments seeking to pursue Class 3 (or “Las Vegas style”) gambling, must first enter into a legally binding agreement, known as a compact, with the surrounding state government. Some states refused to negotiate. Others demanded sunset clauses, revenue sharing, and size limitations. In 1989, Minnesota and the 11 tribal governments that it surrounds signed the first tribal casino compacts in the United States, which impose none of the restrictions that have become common in other states’ compacts. What about Minnesota’s tribal-state relations led the state to become the first to sign compacts? What do the unique history and features of Minnesota tribal casino compacts teach us about tribal-state diplomacy? This presentation draws on archival and oral history research to provide two key lessons from America’s first tribal casino compacts: 1) states should be wary of underestimating tribal governments, and 2) arbitrary limitations on casino compacts can jeopardize both tribal and state development.

Implication Statement: Oral history and archival research on America’s first tribal casino compacts reveal invaluable lessons for policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders.

Keywords

Tribal Casinos, Tribal Government, Economic Development

Author Bios

Theodor Gordon, PhD is the Joseph P Farry Professor of Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, where he also serves as the Director of the Initiative for Native Nation Relations. He is the author of Cahuilla Nation Activism and The Tribal Casino Movement (University of Nevada Press).

Savannah Supan is a Nutrition major at the College of St. Benedict, where she is a research assistant for the College of St. Benedict’s and St. John’s University’s Initiative for Native Nation Relations.