Indian tribes have long enjoyed a monopoly on casino gambling in states all across the US. The tribe's had little competition, and in
The past couple of years, however, state legislators have been expanding their casino industries. Dozens of states have added new casinos, and many more are in the process of loosening their laws with existing casinos.
In 2009, tribal casino gambling revenue dropped for the first time in many years. Revenue was down to $26.4 billion. That was a decline of only one percent overall, but it was enough to show that state casinos were making a dent in the tribal gaming.
"The competition over the past five years has become so great that there was no way that the tribe's could have continued to see the same profits as in years past," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. "State lawmakers knew they needed to even the playing field for non-tribal casinos and pari-mutuel facilities, so the laws were reworked to ensure fair competition."
One of the state's that changed their laws was Florida. Legislators in the Sunshine State allowed the Seminole Indians to create a monopoly on blackjack, but in the process they also lowered taxes on pari-mutuels. The pari-mutuels gained the right to offer their gambling options for longer hours, cutting into some of the late night revenue the Seminoles enjoyed after the pari-mutuel facilities closed.
While the tribe's themselves blamed the economy for the declining revenue, competition is likely the main cause for the decline. It may get worse for the tribal casinos before it gets better, with many states still seeking to further expand their gaming industries.
March 13, 2011
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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