Page 25 - June 2014 • Southern California Gaming Guide

June 2014 Tribes in the News
T29th Annual National Indian Gaming Association Tradeshow & Convention
he 29th annual National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) 2014 Tradeshow and Convention kicked o on “ is is a moment to re ect on of how interconnected we May 13th at the San Diego Convention Center, with over 5,700 tribal leaders in attendance. NIGA’s Chairman, are to our many generations who have served and those Ernie Stevens, Jr., presided over the ribbon cutting. who are currently serving,” Chairman Stevens said. “ is
JoiningtheChairmanattheribboncuttingwereCEOof IGT,PattiHart,basketballlegendA.C.Green,professional rodeo announcer Ray Champ, Hall of Fame boxer Virgil Hill, Olympic Gold Medal Winner Denean Howard-Hill, Law and Order SVU actor Adam Beach, world champion hoop dancers from the Pueblo of Pojoaque, and retired U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell.
e convention had been underway from Sunday, May 11th, with the Chairman’s Welcome Reception hosted at the USS Midway Museum. ere was a special ceremony honoring military veterans by Rocket Gaming’s Jerry Danforth, who served in the United States Navy from 1964 to 1994, including service in Vietnam and Desert Storm. Mr. Danforth, along with Chairman Stevens, called Pakagon Navy Veteran, Scott Brewer, to the stage.
Tribal Government Gaming a Powerful & Growing Economic Engine for CA
e purpose of the annual tradeshow and convention is to build a positive venue for Indian gaming industry professionals to reposition their facilities to better serve their communities, better serve their customers, and stay competitive at the highest level. Despite a tough economy, Indian gaming has continued to grow. e industry has seen increases in gross gaming revenue for each of the last two years as well as signi cant increases in job creation. Indian gaming continues to be a powerful engine driving the economic recovery.
“Today, we have lled the 90,000 square foot tradeshow oor with over 450 world-class exhibits, who are our friends in the gaming industry and Native-owned businesses that are eager to build their brands. is is a $29 billion industry, and we welcome you,” Stevens said.
honor is not just for Scott Brewer and Jerry Danforth, but also for all of you who understand the challenges of being a military family. We are all there for you and we will always grateful of our service members.”
e evening also acknowledged the passing of Charlie Hill and the Chairman invited to the stage family members of the comedy legend and longtime friend to Indian country.
With the Hill family, Chairman Stevens announced that NIGA would create the“Charlie Hill Entertainer of the Year Award,” in recognition of Native artists and entertainment industry experts who have shared their passion and continued support of Indian country. is year, the Charlie Hill Entertainer of the Year Award went to Cree singer- songwriter, musician, composer, and social activist Bu y St. Marie.
ribal government gaming continues to generate important bene ts across California’s economy and its economic impact operations in California generated an estimated is growing, according to a new study conducted by Beacon Economics, a leading independent economic research rm. $2.3 billion in economic output in 2012, supporting e study was commissioned by the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) and surveyed 17 gaming over 14,800 jobs statewide, and adding $1.2 billion in
tribes across the state—or nearly one-third of all tribal government gaming operations statewide. It included a cross section of large and small casinos in urban and rural markets with a range of amenities including hotels, restaurants, retail establishments and entertainment venues.
value to the state economy — of which $804.6 million
represented income for California workers.
♦ Tribal non-gaming operations directly employed 8,200 workers: Tribal non-gaming operations directly employed approximately 8,200 workers statewide and supported an additional 6,600 jobs through the secondary e ects, such as income spent by tribal casino employees or earnings by suppliers of tribal casinos throughout the state.
♦ California gaming tribes active in philanthropic giving: Gaming tribes and their casinos gave $36.6 million in charitable contributions in 2012, generating an estimated $109.2 million in economic output, and supporting an estimated 1,038 jobs statewide. e study also shows that gaming tribes often serve as the most important sources of philanthropic giving in their surrounding communities.
More information about the ndings and the study in its entirety can be viewed at YourTribalEconomy.com.
CNIGA was founded in 1988, and is a non-pro t organization comprised of 34 federally recognized tribal governments. Dedicated to protecting the inherent sovereign right of Indian tribes to have gaming on federally recognized Indian lands, it acts as the planning and coordinating agency for legislative, policy, legal and communication e orts on behalf of its members. It also serves as an industry forum for information and resources.
e 2014 study nds that Indian gaming operations provide bene ts throughout California’s economy, with a larger impact on our state’s economic activity than in 2010, the last year studied prior to the new report.
e study serves as both an update and expansion to the previous study by adding expanded research in the areas of non-gaming operations located at tribal casinos, such as hotels, spas, golf courses and concert halls, revenue sharing with non-gaming tribes and charitable contributions. By expanding the report, Beacon Economics was able to measure the totality of bene ts generated by tribal government gaming operations.
“California tribal governments are upholding the promise we made to California voters: that we would provide for our people and land, create jobs in local communities, and be good neighbors by supporting the non-pro ts and public entities that contribute to the quality of life in our regions,” said Daniel J. Tucker, Chairman of CNIGA.
“Tribal government gaming has delivered for our people, our non-tribal neighbors, local and state governments and California taxpayers, as well as providing nancial assistance for non-gaming tribes to assist them in building a foundation for economic independence. Tribal government gaming is creating strong tribal economies throughout California.”
“OurnewanalysisshowsthatCaliforniatribalgovernment gaming has an $8 billion annual impact and supports more than 56,000 jobs for state residents,” said Christopher
ornberg, Founding Partner of Beacon Economics. “ e bene ts are broad-based and statewide, reaching far beyond the tribes themselves and generating nancial support for local job creation, healthcare, emergency rst responders and education, among other essential government services. e analysis also nds that the continuing economic recovery has helped the industry grow, increasing the positive impact of tribal gaming on California’s local communities.”
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
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e study’s other ndings included:
Expenditures totaled $62.8 million per tribe: Tribal gaming expenditures totaled roughly $62.8 million per tribe in 2012, and consisted predominantly of advertising, administration, food and drink, and gaming expenditures.
♦ $4.2 billion in secondary effects: Over half of the economic output generated by tribal gaming operations came through secondary e ects—$4.2 billion— indicating that tribal casinos have a substantial impact on the state economy above and beyond their own direct spending.
♦ Non-gaming operations generated $2.3 billion output and supported 14,800 jobs: Tribal non-gaming