The Alabama-Coushatta: Casinos, Sovereignty, and
Tourism
Figure 2 image is from chron.com
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe is looking to work out a deal with the federal government on the issue of casinos on Alabama-Coushatta land. The Alabama-Coushatta tribe are looking for a specific way to secure themselves economically, and they believe that the building of casinos is a very economically secure way to support themselves in the present and the future and declare their sovereignty to the federal and state governments. The tourism would allow for much money to pass into the reservation and help the tribe economically, but also display to the state and federal government how the Alabama-Coushatta are their own sovereign tribe that can determine the future of their lands and how best to support themselves.
The reason that the Alabama-Coushatta are looking for a way to get the permission to build the casino from the federal government is that they need money from the casino and accompanying tourist industry to develop and move forward with their reservation and have surplus funds for the Alabama-Coushatta community. The overall goal of the casino is to help the Alabama-Coushatta increase the amount of money that they will earn and to use that money for community developments to help the Alabama-Coushatta in an economy that is suffering a recession. The Alabama-Coushatta is certain that the casinos “would bring opportunity, prosperity, and self-reliance to a group of people who want only to work hard to provide for themselves and their community.” [1] However, the Alabama-Coushatta will have a new problem to face, because the casinos were attempted to be opened in 2002, when the economy was not suffering a recession. If it is able to obtain the gaming rights to a casino the Alabama-Coushatta will prove that they have the right to control their own land and make their very own use of it in a way that they see fit.
The reason that the Alabama-Coushatta are looking for a way to get the permission to build the casino from the federal government is that they need money from the casino and accompanying tourist industry to develop and move forward with their reservation and have surplus funds for the Alabama-Coushatta community. The overall goal of the casino is to help the Alabama-Coushatta increase the amount of money that they will earn and to use that money for community developments to help the Alabama-Coushatta in an economy that is suffering a recession. The Alabama-Coushatta is certain that the casinos “would bring opportunity, prosperity, and self-reliance to a group of people who want only to work hard to provide for themselves and their community.” [1] However, the Alabama-Coushatta will have a new problem to face, because the casinos were attempted to be opened in 2002, when the economy was not suffering a recession. If it is able to obtain the gaming rights to a casino the Alabama-Coushatta will prove that they have the right to control their own land and make their very own use of it in a way that they see fit.
However, the Alabama-Coushatta does have many problems in being able to build and gain permission for a casino in the state of Texas. They have tried to build a gambling center, but it was shut down due to Texas laws on gambling. The Alabama-Coushatta is looking for ways to obtain the gaming rights with the federal and state governments to be able to build a casino on their land. One way that has been brought up is the giving up of a two hundred seventy million dollar claim owed to the Alabama-Coushatta by the federal government. The mere mention of the tribe’s willingness to forgo this massive sum displays the seriousness of their decision to obtain a casino. The casino would greatly help the Alabama-Coushatta, because “[i]n the nine months when the casino was open, Williams said the tribe profited $1 million a month." [2] The $270 million that is owed to the Alabama-Coushatta by the government would be made up by the casinos, but the tribe would also have a source of income and money that is constantly going into the reservation. The tourist industry would have bounce back, because of all the people that would be visiting for the casino would most likely visit the other events that the Alabama-Coushatta tribe would put on.
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe is working towards developing a more independent and financially stable reservation. The casinos give them that opportunity by allowing the Alabama-Coushatta becomes more independent of the federal government’s funds. The casino is a surefire way to increase the funding while not using government money, which could be used on other projects, and the federal funds do not rise or respond to the economic times which would cause serious economic damage to the Alabama-Coushatta and their basic way of life. An example on how the casino benefited to the individual local was that the casino “Tribal unemployment, now at 32 percent, improved in the casino days. . . the 300 casino jobs, which paid as much as $12 to $15 per hour.” [3] The local economy improved for the Alabama-Coushatta who had the jobs at the casino. The promise of a casino on reservation lands has the Alabama-Coushatta ideally believing that the economy would gain a permanent boost. The evidence so far states that one month with a casino was able to bring in one million and pay twelve to fifteen dollars for its workers. The casino has shown to be ideal solution to boost and help the tribe's economy on a more permanent basis.
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe is trying to obtain permission for casinos and through that more sovereignty from the Texas and federal government. The Alabama-Coushatta tribe has not been the only one working towards a casino. However, the Chickasaws tribe sees the casino as more of sovereignty issue. The Chickasaws tribes have been working towards more casinos, which, helps pave the way for the Alabama-Coushatta where the casinos would be “allowing the tribe to have sovereign powers over the property.”[4] The sovereignty issue will
represent the act of letting the Alabama-Coushatta have control of their destiny, but it will also allow them to be able to determine how they want to improve their reservation and continue their culture as they see fit. The casinos are the best possible form to display that to Texas and the U.S. that they have sovereignty, because the tourism that would flow into the reservation would be able to give the funds to the Alabama-Coushatta tribe. The power of tourism from the casinos would have the Alabama-Coushatta not only have the power to fully choose their own choices and represent what they as a tribe believe what they would want to do in the future with the casino funds. The state government sees that “Indian sovereignty was . . . viewed as a threat to
state policy preferences in those jurisdictions where public referenda had opposed the institution of casino gambling.” [5] The casinos are seen as a dangerous tool; because once it is passed then the door opens for other casinos to be built that do not have permission or the many attempts at passing legislation and new laws for more casinos in Texas. The other problem though for the state governments specifically is that the Indian reservation could become fully their own autonomies within the state.
Tourism is a key aspect for the Alabama-Coushatta to succeed. The casino would be “limit[ed] [only to] gaming activity to bingo and bingo-based machines, which do not produce the revenues of Las Vegas-style slot machines. But . . . a "well-run Class II operation" could be a winner for the Alabama Coushattas, capturing Texas gamblers.”[6] Class two operation are gambling that falls under the jurisdiction of bingo or other related games to bingo. The citizens of Texas who wish to gamble would no longer have to go to different states such as Nevada, but the casinos would be right within Texas. This very action would result in many tourists that would find it cheaper to stay inside Texas instead of paying for a plane ticket. The Alabama-Coushatta would be a major tourist attraction just for bingo games. The tourist aspect would not only be for the casino, but businesses such as hotels and the gift shops already set-up by the Alabama-Coushatta would profit greatly from the tourist industry. The reservation's market would have a boom, because the influx of people would have businesses have a increased constant flow of money. Then this money from the casinos, inside and out, would go back into the overall reservation market.
The argument for the casinos includes the arguments of sovereignty, tourism, and the chance for economic prosperity. These overall three elements are in question over the argument should the Alabama-Coushatta
tribe be able to build a casino. The answer is not an easy one. However, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe can profit greatly from the casino, and the tribe would not be able to provide for themselves a future that does not rely upon federal funds, which are limited. The goal of the casinos is to give the Alabama-Coushatta a future that does not only rely upon the limited funds from the state and federal governments, but a chance to use their own land for their own purposes, and to better their community where they don’t suffer poverty or thirty to forty percent of unemployment.
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe is working towards developing a more independent and financially stable reservation. The casinos give them that opportunity by allowing the Alabama-Coushatta becomes more independent of the federal government’s funds. The casino is a surefire way to increase the funding while not using government money, which could be used on other projects, and the federal funds do not rise or respond to the economic times which would cause serious economic damage to the Alabama-Coushatta and their basic way of life. An example on how the casino benefited to the individual local was that the casino “Tribal unemployment, now at 32 percent, improved in the casino days. . . the 300 casino jobs, which paid as much as $12 to $15 per hour.” [3] The local economy improved for the Alabama-Coushatta who had the jobs at the casino. The promise of a casino on reservation lands has the Alabama-Coushatta ideally believing that the economy would gain a permanent boost. The evidence so far states that one month with a casino was able to bring in one million and pay twelve to fifteen dollars for its workers. The casino has shown to be ideal solution to boost and help the tribe's economy on a more permanent basis.
The Alabama-Coushatta tribe is trying to obtain permission for casinos and through that more sovereignty from the Texas and federal government. The Alabama-Coushatta tribe has not been the only one working towards a casino. However, the Chickasaws tribe sees the casino as more of sovereignty issue. The Chickasaws tribes have been working towards more casinos, which, helps pave the way for the Alabama-Coushatta where the casinos would be “allowing the tribe to have sovereign powers over the property.”[4] The sovereignty issue will
represent the act of letting the Alabama-Coushatta have control of their destiny, but it will also allow them to be able to determine how they want to improve their reservation and continue their culture as they see fit. The casinos are the best possible form to display that to Texas and the U.S. that they have sovereignty, because the tourism that would flow into the reservation would be able to give the funds to the Alabama-Coushatta tribe. The power of tourism from the casinos would have the Alabama-Coushatta not only have the power to fully choose their own choices and represent what they as a tribe believe what they would want to do in the future with the casino funds. The state government sees that “Indian sovereignty was . . . viewed as a threat to
state policy preferences in those jurisdictions where public referenda had opposed the institution of casino gambling.” [5] The casinos are seen as a dangerous tool; because once it is passed then the door opens for other casinos to be built that do not have permission or the many attempts at passing legislation and new laws for more casinos in Texas. The other problem though for the state governments specifically is that the Indian reservation could become fully their own autonomies within the state.
Tourism is a key aspect for the Alabama-Coushatta to succeed. The casino would be “limit[ed] [only to] gaming activity to bingo and bingo-based machines, which do not produce the revenues of Las Vegas-style slot machines. But . . . a "well-run Class II operation" could be a winner for the Alabama Coushattas, capturing Texas gamblers.”[6] Class two operation are gambling that falls under the jurisdiction of bingo or other related games to bingo. The citizens of Texas who wish to gamble would no longer have to go to different states such as Nevada, but the casinos would be right within Texas. This very action would result in many tourists that would find it cheaper to stay inside Texas instead of paying for a plane ticket. The Alabama-Coushatta would be a major tourist attraction just for bingo games. The tourist aspect would not only be for the casino, but businesses such as hotels and the gift shops already set-up by the Alabama-Coushatta would profit greatly from the tourist industry. The reservation's market would have a boom, because the influx of people would have businesses have a increased constant flow of money. Then this money from the casinos, inside and out, would go back into the overall reservation market.
The argument for the casinos includes the arguments of sovereignty, tourism, and the chance for economic prosperity. These overall three elements are in question over the argument should the Alabama-Coushatta
tribe be able to build a casino. The answer is not an easy one. However, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe can profit greatly from the casino, and the tribe would not be able to provide for themselves a future that does not rely upon federal funds, which are limited. The goal of the casinos is to give the Alabama-Coushatta a future that does not only rely upon the limited funds from the state and federal governments, but a chance to use their own land for their own purposes, and to better their community where they don’t suffer poverty or thirty to forty percent of unemployment.
Endnotes
[1] Esther Flynn, “The Alabama-Coushatta’s Gamble For Survival: Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness,” Touchstone 23 (2004): 53-61.
[2] Kelley Shannon, “Cash-strapped Texas Tribes Hope to Reopen Casinos.” Houston Chronicle,
Dec. 14, 2008.
[3] Jayme Fraser, “Tribe Is Willing To Forgive, Forget,” Houston Chronicle, 31 March 2013, Front
Page.
[4] R.G. Ratcliffe, “Houston & Texas Track Purchase May Improve Odds for Casinos,” Houston Chronicle, Sept. 24, 2009.
[5] Tracy A.Skopek, Rich Engstrom and, Kenneth Hansen, “All That Glitters . . . The Rise of American Indian Tribes in State Political Behavior,” American Indian Culture and Research Journal 29, no.4 (2005): 45-58.
[6] “Allowing the Alabama Coushatta’s to open a Casino Would Provide Economic Freedom,” Houston
Chronicle, April 4, 2013.
[2] Kelley Shannon, “Cash-strapped Texas Tribes Hope to Reopen Casinos.” Houston Chronicle,
Dec. 14, 2008.
[3] Jayme Fraser, “Tribe Is Willing To Forgive, Forget,” Houston Chronicle, 31 March 2013, Front
Page.
[4] R.G. Ratcliffe, “Houston & Texas Track Purchase May Improve Odds for Casinos,” Houston Chronicle, Sept. 24, 2009.
[5] Tracy A.Skopek, Rich Engstrom and, Kenneth Hansen, “All That Glitters . . . The Rise of American Indian Tribes in State Political Behavior,” American Indian Culture and Research Journal 29, no.4 (2005): 45-58.
[6] “Allowing the Alabama Coushatta’s to open a Casino Would Provide Economic Freedom,” Houston
Chronicle, April 4, 2013.