Public Opinion and American Indian Gaming

• In Event: Attitudes Toward Redistribution Policies

Abstract

American Indian gaming has expanded over the last thirty plus years from bingo halls and small casinos generating roughly $800 million a year, to 494 gaming operations, owned by 242 federally recognized tribes, that generated over $32 billion in 2017. While this growth suggests support by those interested in wagering at Indian Casinos, little is know about public opinion towards American Indian gaming and what leads to support or opposition among the general public. Of the few studies that exist, the focus is generally local populations that surround a casino or casinos (Carmichael et al. 1996, Spears and Boger 2002, 2003, Janes and Collison 2004, and Chhabra 2007). In this research we utilize a national survey, the 2014 CCES, which included unique questions about support for American Indian Casinos. This represents a major step forward as we are able to ask and answer important questions about the attributes of individuals and their support or opposition to Indian gaming. In addition, we include individual proximity and contextual measures to test research findings that suggest proximity to Indian nations influences decisions about support for Indian gaming in California (Boehmke, Branton, Dillingham and Witmer 2010), and apply them to public opinion nationwide. By incorporating both individual and location/contextual measures this research helps move forward our understanding of public support for American Indian gaming in important ways.

Authors

• Richard C. Witmer, Creighton University

• Frederick J. Boehmke, University of Iowa

• Regina Branton