Indian casinos reduce poverty

UCR study finds families better off near casinosThe UC Riverside analysis of 1990 and 2000 census data found income levels for families living within 10 miles of reservations with Indian casinos rose 55 percent in that decade. The median income for families not living within 10 miles of a gambling reservation rose 33 percent during that period.

"This study has shown that tribal gaming in California has improved social and economic outcomes on tribal lands and in surrounding areas," researchers wrote in the report. "Benefits include significant increases in incomes and educational attainment and reductions in poverty, especially in the poorest regions of the state."Indian Casinos Boost Local Economies

UCR researchers report reduced poverty and higher incomes on and near gaming reservations.The authors’ analysis of U.S. Census data reveal that the benefits have been significant. California’s gaming tribes experienced a 55 percent increase in average income per capita between 1990 and 2000, compared to a 15 percent increase on nongaming reservations. The average income per capita on California’s gaming reservations was $12,526 in 2000, only 53 percent of the average income for all Americans, the researchers found.

The number of families living in poverty on the state’s gaming reservations dropped from 36 percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 2000, the researchers found. Even so, poverty rates were more than twice as high as the state and national averages.

“This study is important because it is the first to present the impacts of gaming on economic development for every tribe in California and their surrounding communities,” Marks said. “These findings show that it is a myth to think that all tribal members have become millionaires or that casinos are a drain on their surrounding communities. Incomes on reservations are still well below the national average. Still, the improvements in poverty rates and incomes on reservations with casinos are impressive.”