Tribal Casinos Cash In On $32.4 Billion In 2017

The National Indian Gaming Commission has published an annual financial report claiming that the income of tribal casinos in the U.S. has risen to $32.4 billion in the previous year, which is exactly 4% in gross gaming revenue. The calculations are based on 494 gambling services, operated by 242 federally acknowledged tribes, while the data was collected from hubs in Rapid City, Portland, St. Paul, Washington D.C., Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and more.

The Sacramento region in the state of California is the most profitable territory, cashing in on approximately $9 billion GGR from about 74 tribal casinos. In comparison to 2016, a rise of 7.3 percent has been measured, unlike the Washington DC area which brought in just about $7.3 bn GGR from 37 outlets. The only region with a negative yield trajectory, decreasing 2.7% from FY16 was The Rapid City area (North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming).

The chair of the NIGC, Jonodev O. Chaudhuri, said that the Indian community has worked hard to sustain prosperous and persistent growing gaming capacities. It has been 30 years since the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was established, and successful foundational principles should definitely remain a starting point of any future public policy discussion, added Chaudhuri.

Another indicator of growth in tribal casino revenues across the United States is the Supreme Court’s ruling in May to strike down the federal ban on sports betting, allowing a great majority of Native American tribes to provide the service. Many tribal casinos are getting ready to offer sports wagering, since further amendments are not going to be needed any time soon.