the study...There are many good people who enjoy their visits to the casino without becoming the evil monsters that the media portrays them as potentially becoming."

Among the groups involved in gambling are American Indians. While there are those who would denigrate gambling and those who seek to profit from it, American Indians see the business as one that provides plentiful jobs for non-Indians as well as tribal members, and the tribes involved take their responsibilities very seriously. J. David Tovey writes, "Many tribes are enjoying unparalleled prosperity, a renewed sense of community and open expectations of hope and improvement for the future---something that was not made available under 200 years of federal government policy."

The benefits extend beyond mere employment for Indians, however. Native American Report describes how one tribe "already provides cradle-to-grave education, and next it plans to build a school system so the tribe no longer will have to rely on Bureau of Indian Affairs schools---and so children will learn the language and `true history' of their people. ... A child development center, with a newly added cultural center, already has been funded." With added political muscle thanks to their economic clout, gambling has served Indians well.

Casinos claim to understand the wider responsibilities they have, and do their best to honor them. Frank J. Fahrenkopf writes, "One of the first initiatives undertaken by the AGA [American Gaming Association] ... was to create the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG), an independent organization that funds peer-reviewed research on disordered gambling. The research being conducted by NCRG investigators ... is helping the scientific community gain a better understanding of the causal factors related to disordered gambling, improve diagnostic methods and identify empirically valid prevention and treatment programs."

Indians involved in the casino business have had to deal with news reports claiming wide irregularities, if not actual criminal behavior, within their businesses. Katherine Spilde sees these attacks as part of a larger agenda aimed at diminishing Indian advances and removing tribal power before it grows too great. Spilde writes, "Academic research reveals that Indian gaming in particular is having profound economic and social impacts across many parts of Indian Country." The media, Spilde argues, rarely chooses to focus on that side of the story.

Resources
Fahrenkopf, Jr., Frank J. "The Gaming Industry Promotes Responsible Gambling." Legalized Gambling. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006.
Native American Report. "Indian Gaming Benefits Native Americans." Legalized Gambling. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006.
Spilde, Katherine A. "The Media Promote an Unjust Backlash Against Indian Gaming." Legalized Gambling. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006.
Tovey, Jr., J. David. "Casinos Help Indians Achieve the American Dream." Indian Gaming. Ed. Stuart A. Kallen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006.
Waddell, David. "Casino Gambling Does Not Cause Crime." Legalized Gambling. Ed. David M. Haugen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006.

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