Governing Fortune: Casino Gambling in America

Book Description

Governing Fortune: Casino Gambling in America provides the background needed for citizens and policymakers to make informed decisions about gambling in America.

Edward A. Morse and Ernest P. Goss draw on their legal and economic experience to offer important insights to those wrestling with the policy dilemmas presented by legalized gambling. Rather than a polemic against gambling or an apology for it, Governing Fortune is an acute analysis of the industry, designed to help policymakers and interested citizens make informed choices.

Distinguishing Features

Evenhanded treatment of pro and con arguments for casino gambling.
Lucid and understandable explanation of the legal framework for regulating gambling, including both state and federal sources.
Comprehensive information on contemporary developments in gambling, including Internet gambling and problem gambling behaviors.

Book Description

From Connecticut to California, Native American tribes have entered the gambling business, some making money and nearly all igniting controversy. The image of the "casino Indian" is everywhere. Some observers suspect corruption or criminal ties, or have doubts about tribal authenticity. Many tribes disagree, contending that Indian gaming has strengthened tribal governments and vastly improved the quality of reservation life for American Indians.

This book provides the clearest and most complete account to date of the laws and politics of Indian gaming. Steven Light and Kathryn Rand explain how it has become one of today's most politically charged phenomena: at stake are a host of competing legal rights and political interests for tribal, state, and federal governments. As Indian gaming grows, policymakers struggle with balancing its economic and social costs and benefits.

Light and Rand emphasize that tribal sovereignty is the very rationale that allows Indian gaming to exist, even though U.S. law subjects that sovereignty to strict congressional authority and compromised it even further through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. Their book describes Indian gaming and explores today's hottest political issues, from the Pequots to the Plains Indians, with examples that reflect a wide range of tribal experience: from hugely successful casinos to gambling halls with small markets and low grosses to tribes that chose not to pursue gaming. Throughout, they contend that tribal sovereignty is the key to understanding Indian gaming law and politics and guiding policy reform-and that Indian gaming even represents a unique opportunity for the emergence of tribal self-determination.

Book Description

This case study examines the impact of casino gaming on Native American reservations, and also explores why the idea of "rich Indians" and their participation in corporate America disrupts dominant assumptions and attitudes about indigenous peoples, their cultural authenticity, and their place in mainstream urban society. Taking an anthropological approach to studying gaming on Indian reservations, the case study explores the implications and challenges of historically marginalized peoples now participating in a corporate entertainment industry. The study raises broader questions about the nature of capitalism and the enduring stability of predominant cultural constructs about Indians that have dominated the country's political and economic arenas. By linking gaming with tourism, what is occurring within the United States is comparatively discussed with similar developments in Canada, Australia, and Mexico where native peoples are increasingly demanding greater rights to participate in the formal institutions and governments of modern western societies. Using extensive interviews with tribal elders, employees of reservation casinos, Las Vegas casino operators, and a broad spectrum of the California public, the book will serve to: 1. Introduce readers to the legal, political, economic and cultural tensions surrounding casino operations on Native American reservations. 2. Explore why gaming has become such a politically and emotionally charged issue. 3. Emphasize how these tensions existing between Indian and non-Indian communities are representative of wider cultural conflicts and identity politics increasingly confronting many countries.

Average customer rating:

Indian Gaming Law And Policy
Kathryn R. L. Rand , and Steven Andrew Light
Manufacturer: Carolina Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Entertainment | Intellectual Property | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Indian Gaming & Tribal Sovereignty: The Casino Compromise
Jackpot Trail: Indian Gaming in Southern California
Hitting the Jackpot: The Inside Story of the Richest Indian Tribe in History
The Right to Speak Ill: Defamation, Reputation And Free Speech
American Indian Law in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series)

ASIN: 1594600465
Release Date: 2006-01-01

Product Description

In just over two decades, Indian gaming has become big business throughout the United States. Over 300 tribal casinos in 30 states generate billions of dollars in gambling revenue. The Indian gaming industry continues to grow, attracting widespread attention in the courts, policymaking arenas, and the media. With a complex and controversial federal regulatory scheme and myriad state and tribal regulations, Indian gaming is a growing area of legal and regulatory practice. At the intersection of federal Indian law and gambling law, and against the background of tribal sovereignty, Indian gaming is a complicated and fascinating topic for students, practitioners, and policymakers alike, raising important legal, political, and public policy questions. Indian Gaming Law and Policy provides a comprehensive and accessible explanation of Indian gaming, tracing the genesis of tribal gaming and the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, enacted on the heels of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. The book discusses in detail the Act s provisions and subsequent legal and political developments, including the scope of gaming and state public policy, the line dividing Class II and Class III games, the increased politicization of tribal gaming after the Supreme Court's examination of the Act in Seminole Tribe v. Florida, and the multitude of actors - at federal, state, and tribal levels, and within both the public and private sectors - who have regulatory authority or other influence over Indian gaming. As debates over tribal gaming heat up across the U.S., the book examines developing political and policy issues that may determine the future of Indian gaming and includes a helpful appendix to guide practitioners and students in researching Indian gaming issues. Indian Gaming Law and Policy is a one-stop resource for practitioners and policymakers, and also is a highly readable and comprehensive account appropriate for adoption in courses in law, public policy and public administration, and contemporary issues.

Average customer rating:

Well Written & Informative

Internet Gaming Law
I. Nelson Rose , and Martin D., Jr. Owens
Manufacturer: Mary Ann Liebert
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Entertainment | Intellectual Property | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Cutting the Wire: Gambling Prohibition And the Internet (The Gambling Studies Series)
Internet Gambling: Overview of Federal Criminal Law
Powerful Profits From Internet Gambling
The Gaming Industry: Introduction and Perspectives

ASIN: 0913113360

Book Description

In this definitive work, I. Nelson Rose with Martin Owens, clear up much of the confusing rhetoric regarding gaming and the law. Professor Rose, one of the industry's leading experts in the field of gambling law, and Martin Owens, an attorney who specializes in online gambling, discuss the impact of state, federal, and international laws on traditional forms of gambling played online.

Internet Gaming Law is an essential resource for legal professionals and business executives in the field of Internet gaming law. This valuable book covers a multitude of new challenges to government and regulatory agencies that deal with gambling legislation, including:

--Federal legislation pertaining to internet gambling
--US law as it applies to advertising for online gaming services
--Use and abuse of certain bank instruments for Internet gambling
--Laws regarding wagers via phone lines
--Latest developments in legislative, regulatory, and judicial decisions affecting the gaming industry internationally
--Gaming tax issues
--Intellectual property issues
and much more

Customer Reviews:

Well Written & Informative.......2007-08-07

Professor Rose does an excellent job in taking the complex world of gambling law and the internet, and lay it flat out - making it much easier for us to understand the do's and don'ts of internet gaming law.

Beat the Players: Casinos, Cops And the Game Inside the Game

Average customer rating:

If You Love Casino Gambling, Read This Book
All smart gamblers should read this book
A book that should be read before setting foot in a Las Vegas casino

Beat the Players: Casinos, Cops And the Game Inside the Game
Bob Nersesian
Manufacturer: Pi Yee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Blackjack Attack: Playing the Pros' Way
Burning the Tables in Las Vegas: Keys to Success in Blackjack and in Life
Blackjack For Blood: The Card-Counters' Bible, and Complete Winning Guide
American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down---My Wild Twenty-Five-Year Ride Ripping Off the World's Casinos
Dirty Poker: The Poker Underworld Exposed

ASIN: 0935926283

Customer Reviews:

If You Love Casino Gambling, Read This Book.......2006-09-04

Beat the Players by Bob Nersesian, a Nevada lawyer who represents advantage players against the casinos, starts his preface with three stingingly dramatic words, "Nevada hates you...." - and the rest of the book attempts to prove why those three words have the ring of truth.

The casinos of Las Vegas, and by extension, the casinos throughout the United States have a love-hate relationship with their players. Most casino players don't realize this since most casino players are only thinking about one-half of the casino equation - the half they are on.

The casinos love the losers - who make up maybe 99.99+ percent of all the players, whose towering losses make casino gambling a multi-billion dollar industry - but the casinos hate the advantage players, those Davids who by skill and intellect have found ways to turn the tables on the casino Goliaths, beating those monstrous Goliaths at their own games. Goliaths don't like to lose to slingshot carrying Davids - that is for sure.

Nersesian's book goes through many of his cases, as well as other cases, where advantage players were mistreated and at times abused by casino security and even law enforcement personnel - even though these players were doing nothing illegal. Sadly casinos can ask players to stop playing and/or leave their properties even though the players are doing nothing illegal but the casino personnel are often not content to just do this - as the book brutally shows.

You'll read about phony charges of players cheating which are totally discredited by the security cameras; phony "eye-witness" reports that are totally discredited by the security cameras; and depositions where the security personnel and the police offer explanations that would be very funny in a National Lampoon movie, but are downright terrifying when you realize these are being made to hurt honest America citizens doing nothing wrong. Imagine a hero who fought for America in our wars; or one who rushed into the World Trade Center in New York after the terrorist attack to save those poor souls trapped therein, being told he can't play in an American casino because "you are too good" or, worse, being escorted to or being dragged into the "backroom" to be illegally detained. Disgraceful but it has happened - far too frequently.

The book is an eye-opener and a page-turner from start to finish. If you are a card counter, a shuffle tracker, a hole card catcher, or dice controller; even if you are only a smart casino gambler taking your best shot at the house - this book makes for enlightening and frightening reading.

Nersesian has done all of us who love to play the casino games a great service by showing us what has happened to some of our unfortunate fellows who have the temerity to be "too good."

All smart gamblers should read this book.......2006-08-11

Casinos use mathematics and intelligence in trying to beat the players. Their games are normally fair, but mathematically skewed so that they will win over the long run. Yet, may casinos abhor players that try to use their own intelligence and legal skills to win at the games of chance that the casinos offer. Some casinos take it way too far and illegally abuse these players. This is when attorney Bob Nersesian steps in. Nersesian represents players who are playing legally who have been unfairly and illegally treated by the casinos, casino security and possibly the police force as well. In Beat the Players, Nersesian writes about some of these situations and cases, many showcase the amazing stupidity of casino security forces and the police force. He also gives advice to players on how to act and what to expect in the casino security offices (the backroom), including when it is appropriate or inappropriate to use an alias. This book should be read by all smart gamblers simply to prepare themselves for what could happen.

This book should also be read by casino personnel and cops. Along with giving advice to players on their rights and what to expect, Nersesian also gives advice to the casinos and cops on what not to do and the misconceptions that they may have. Card counting is legal. Hole carding due to dealer's mistakes is legal. Abusing, illegally detaining and illegally searching patrons is not legal. In the short run, the bully casino security force may get some satisfaction, but in the long run, the casinos (and in these corporate days, their shareholders as well) suffer in paying out losses in court cases.

Although I am not a lawyer and much of this book deals with the law, I still found it very readable. This is due to the way Nersesian wrote the book. Anyone will find it readable and easy to understand. I recommend this book to all gamblers who play in casinos, and especially those that think they can win.

A book that should be read before setting foot in a Las Vegas casino.......2006-08-05

"The casino hates you."

That's the first sentence of the first chapter. Direct. Powerful. Compelling. Unambiguous. Authoritative. Easy to understand.

Just like the rest of the book.

This 320-page book should be read by everyone who patronizes, or is in any way associated with casinos in Las Vegas. A fascinating read by a Las Vegas attorney who is THE authority on the tactics and abuses casinos apply towards blackjack players they think is winning too much of "their" money.

The chapter titles are:

Your Money or Your Liberty;
Scary Cop Statements;
They'll Take Your Liberty Anyway;
Gaming Agents Speak;
The Take of the State;
Rules for Casino Patrons;
Gambling at the Legal Limits;
Cops Hate Card Counters;
Griffin Investigations;
Casinos Cheat With Impunity;
A Judicial and Government Overlay;
Finding a Nickel Brings Trouble;
Names and Aliases;
The Security Office and Surveillance Functions,
Casinos and Cops.

Learn your rights and what a casino can and cannot do to you and what you can do to do to protect yourself and substantiate your claims if you initiate a future lawsuit.

Learn of the cozy relationships between the casinos, the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.

If you work in casino management or security or Surveillance, the NGCB, or Metro, learn the law (!) and how to protect yourself from those pesky lawsuits.

It's all here. It's scary. It's real. You need to know it.

Average customer rating:

Blackjack and the Law
I. Nelson Rose , and Robert A. Loeb
Manufacturer: RGE Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

Labor & Employment | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Practical Guides | Law | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

How to Detect Casino Cheating at Blackjack
Theory of Blackjack, Sixth Edition
Professional Blackjack
Burning the Tables in Las Vegas: Keys to Success in Blackjack and in Life
Blackbelt in Blackjack : Playing 21 as a Martial Art

ASIN: 0910575088

Book Description

Two prominent gaming attorneys tackle the controversial legal issues in the on-going battle between card counters and the ever-expanding casino industry.

Legalized Gambling: For and Against (For and Against, V. 2)

Average customer rating:

A Fair and Comprehensive Approach to a Complicated Subject

Legalized Gambling: For and Against (For and Against, V. 2)
Rod Evans
Manufacturer: Open Court
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Philosophy | Law | Subjects | Books

General | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits
Legalized Casino Gaming in the United States: The Economic and Social Impact
Gambling Politics: State Government and the Business of Betting
The Luck Business

ASIN: 081269354X

Book Description

Americans now spend over $300 billion each year in legal gambling, and the gambling industry has become a major contributor to tax revenues. In the past 30 years, nearly all states have permitted some form of gambling, and 126 Native American tribes now operate reservation casinos. Yet, even as legalized gambling has grown by leaps and bounds, public opinion has turned against it, and political opposition has mobilized. Some critics of gambling want to return to the situation before World War I, when virtually all gambling was illegal in every state, while others want to regulate the industry to channel the popular appetite for gambling into its arguably less undesirable forms. Legalized Gambling: For and Against captures all the main arguments on both sides in this increasingly heated controversy, with 23 carefully-selected contributions by a balanced range of writers.

Customer Reviews:

A Fair and Comprehensive Approach to a Complicated Subject.......2000-11-27

From the perspective of a city planner representing a city considering the "opportunity" of legalized gambling, I had searched for a book that comprehensively tackled the subject from both sides of the difficult issue. This is the first such book that effectively meets that goal. Heretofore, much of what I had read had a particularly biased approach that failed to fairly represent the pros and cons of legalized gambling. This book is a good start, but should be complemented with additional readings and up to date statistics and anecdotes.

The Gambler's Guide To Taxes: How to Keep More of What You Win

Average customer rating:

Only an Introduction to the Subject

The Gambler's Guide To Taxes: How to Keep More of What You Win
Walter Lewis
Manufacturer: Lyle Stuart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Reference | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Consumer Law | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

How to Turn Your Poker Playing into a Business: Knowing What to Deduct to Improve Your Odds With the IRS
Professional Poker: The Essential Guide to Playing for a Living
No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice
Professional No-Limit Hold 'em: Volume I
Weighing the Odds in Hold'em Poker

ASIN: 0818406321

Customer Reviews:

Only an Introduction to the Subject.......2005-02-26

If you know nothing about taxes on gambling this is probably a solid introduction to the subjects of record keeping and the potential impact of alternate minimum tax.

If you are a "professional gambler" there should be very little here that you don't know. There is a brief discussion of the pros and cons of professional versus recreational. Also, in passing it mentions that you file a Schedule C and that to establish as a business you need to meet standard IRS requirements, but there is no sample Schedule C here despite at least three examples of Form 1040 for recreational gamblers.

About half of the book is either "filler" or "reference" from other sources.

Revenge of the Pequots: How a Small Native American Tribe Created the World's Most Profitable Casino

Average customer rating:

A Superficial Effort
I Wish
Funny, ironic, fascinating
What a Letdown
Legal-Political Saga of Developing Special Interest Edges

Revenge of the Pequots: How a Small Native American Tribe Created the World's Most Profitable Casino
Kim Isaac Eisler
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Legal | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Without Reservation : How a Controversial Indian Tribe Rose to Power and Built the World's Largest Casino
Hitting the Jackpot: The Inside Story of the Richest Indian Tribe in History
The Pequots in Southern New England: The Fall and Rise of an American Indian Nation (Civilization of the American Indian Series)
Indian Gaming: Tribal Sovereignty and American Politics
Indian Gaming & Tribal Sovereignty: The Casino Compromise

ASIN: 0684854708

Amazon.com

Kim Isaac Eisler begins Revenge of the Pequots with a fascinating anecdote: a 1994 phone call between President Clinton and Skip Hayward, the chief of Connecticut's Pequot tribe. Here was the most powerful man in the country thanking Hayward for political campaign contributions totaling half a million dollars--a dramatic reversal from the standard story of American Indians begging the federal government for financial assistance. Eisler calls the incredible Pequot story "one of the greatest about-faces in American history, [how] this obscure Indian tribe, which in 1994 had been federally recognized for only ten years and numbered fewer than 200 people, had nothing if not plenty of cash."

They were (and are) the richest tribe in the United States, and they've done it all on gambling proceeds. The Foxwoods High Stakes Bingo and Casino complex, located in southeastern Connecticut, is "one of the most successful cash-producing enterprises in the world," says Eisler, and a destination for some 25,000 gamblers every day. The entrepreneurial Hayward is at the center of the book's plot, along with a talented lawyer named Tom Tureen, as they carefully go about winning federal recognition for the Pequots and then building Foxwoods. All of this was extremely controversial, with questions about the legitimacy of the Pequots' claims and the probity of their business. (Eisler is considerably more sympathetic to their story than another book on the same subject, Jeff Benedict's Without Reservation.)

The remote descendants of the Pequots had exacted from the system more than a small dose of revenge. They had turned a government, which for four centuries had committed brutal acts of oppression and termination, into knots. Using the same legal processes that had been used against American Indians for so long, they had trumped the ruling class and implausibly become the wealthiest Indian tribe in the history of North America.... Skeptics could and would argue endlessly about whether the new Pequots were or were not authentic Indians, although no one had questioned their right to declare themselves Pequots when they were poor.

Eisler is a veteran of magazine feature writing, and he describes this rags-to-riches accomplishment in great detail, all of it engrossing. --John J. Miller

Book Description

In the mid-1970s, the Mashantucket Pequot tribe had only one member -- an elderly woman who pleaded with her grandson to come live on the impoverished reservation and save it from falling into government hands upon her death. In Revenge of the Pequots, journalist Kim Isaac Eisler tells the remarkable story of how Richard "Skip" Hayward, then an unemployed ship-worker, granted his grandmother's dying wish, revived the moribund clan, and transformed the Pequots into the richest and most influential band of Native Americans in history.

Established in 1992, Foxwoods Resort and Casino is the world's most profitable gambling establishment, grossing over $1 billion a year at its sprawling complex in the backwoods of Ledyard, Connecticut. Making use of arcane laws and court decisions never intended to benefit Native Americans as they have, Hayward brilliantly laid the groundwork for this staggering economic empire. In a story rife with drama, he challenged a succession of Connecticut governors and such worthy adversaries as casino moguls Steve Wynn and Donald Trump, while forming alliances with Malaysian industrialist Lim Goh Tong, renegade Seminole chief James Billie, and President Bill Clinton. As a result of Hayward's strategizing, for one of the few times in history -- and in a truly ironic reversal -- the bizarre legal structure governing Native Americans actually worked to their advantage in a mainstream enterprise. But the Pequots' meteoric rise to fortune has left many wondering: Is this turnabout fair play?

In this riveting rags-to-riches tale, Eisler deftly explores the wide-ranging issues that have framed the great Native American casino debate and the ramifications of the Native American casino boom in a nation still uneasy about its roots.

Download Description

In the mid-seventies, the Pequot tribe had only one member -- an elderly woman who would beg her grandson to come live on the reservation and save it from falling into government hands upon her death. Award-winning journalist Kim Isaac Eisler tells the remarkable story of how Richard "Skip" Hayward, then an unemployed ship-worker, granted his grandmother's wish, revived the dying clan, and transformed the Pequots into the richest and most influential band of Native Americans in history. Making use of ancient laws and court decisions never intended to benefit Native Americans the way they have, Hayward single-handedly laid the groundwork for Foxwoods and its tremendous success. In a story rife with drama, he faced Connecticut governors, and such worthy adversaries as Steve Wynn and Donald Trump, and formed controversial alliances with Malaysian moneyman Lim Goh Tung, renegade Seminole Chief James Billie, and Bill Clinton. And for one of the first times in history -- a truly ironic reversal -- the bizarre legal structure governing Native-Americans worked to their advantage in a mainstream enterprise. Eisler deftly explores the wide-ranging issues that have framed America's great casino debate, and the ramifications of the Native-American casino boom in a nation still fearful of its Native-American roots.

Customer Reviews:

A Superficial Effort.......2003-10-04

This book relies entirely too much on clips from previously published sources. In addition, the authors did not interview many tribal members or people who aided this tribe get on the map. It feels like a book the author was simply rushing to finish. Too bad.

I Wish.......2001-09-24

This is the book I wish I had written -- but I never would have spent the time and effort on research that the writer did. As a Ledyard-based reporter in the early 1970s, I knew about that part of town referred to as the Indian Reservation, and I'd heard of the only old lady who lived there in a trailer, and her occasional grandchildren. Trouble is, in four years I never had the slightest inclination to write about her or the land or the story behind either. Nonetheless, as the casino developed, I was pleased that someone was beating city hall. In painstaking detail the author tells how it happened, including a good bit of history. It's a serious book, not just a compilation of gossip. An interesting part of Americana. But as Ledyard today tries to deal with all the traffic and tourists, I can't help but remember the hundreds of meetings I sat through where the town fathers agonized over how to attract visitors and to expand the town's economic base. The leader of the Historical Society was sure that restoring the vertical saw mill would do draw crowds. He never could have imagined that the answer could have been found in that trailer on that reservation at the far end of town!

Funny, ironic, fascinating.......2001-06-06

I always wondered how Foxwoods came to be. Now I know thanks to this witty and ironic account, which the Boston Globe says is far more accurate and attentive to the facts than the other book on the topic. Also contains a lot of good insight into gambling, why people gamble, and unlike a lot of non fiction, it doesnt bog you down. Great book!

What a Letdown.......2001-05-20

After reading the terriffic "Without Reservation", I egarly anticipated getting another detailed view of how this "tribe" became what it is today. Unfortunately, I got a "soft" account of what happened in this author's view and IMO completely whitewashed the story behind the story: how government at all levels engaged in dereliction of duty and gross negligence in allowing this group to gain the recognition and power it has secured.

While the author does an OK good job of linking many of the favorable aspects of the court rulings to the "tribes" generous gifts to the DNC and Bill Clinton, he fails to delve into the corruption and naivite of the State and Federal governments and how this was a direct driver of the final outcome.

In fact, the author whitewashes a fundamental aspect of this "sovergn nation"- whether they acutally qualify as an Indian tribe according to clear Federal criteria on the subject.

If you want a "soft" and relatively "warm" view on the birth of the Foxwoods windfall, one that is short on details and long on political-correctness, you might enjoy this read. If you want a much more compelling and believable account of this situation, I suggest you read Mr. Benedict's "Without Reservation". You'll be glad you did.

Legal-Political Saga of Developing Special Interest Edges.......2001-02-05

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" could be the subtitle for this book. Native Americans suffered in military, social, and bureaucratic maneuvering versus the European settlers and later the United States. In the 1970s, the strategy altered to seeking advantages as another special interest group. That approach benefited from poorly drafted laws, politicans' need for campaign funds, and a bad conscience among politicians to create unexpected and unequaled success for the formerly impoverished handful of Connecticut-based Mashantucket Pequots. The resulting gaming empire of Foxwoods (from the one-time name of "Fox people" for the Pequots) now wields far more power than the tribe ever had in its entire history.

This story reveals a great deal about the nature of modern American politics and law that shows the need for broad reform at every level of government. The weakness of this book is that it takes on the Pequots almost as a special case, rather than as a more typical example of the system we have now. The book is also overly detailed for the interests of most readers, and does not make very entertaining reading except for those who are fascinated by legal and political intrigue from an academic perspective.

The author revels in the irony of President Clinton courting the Pequots for funds and political support in 1994. Historically, it had been the other way around with U.S. presidents and tribal chiefs. In 1994, tribal chairman Richard "Skip" Haywood personally donated $500,000 to the Democrats for the congressional campaigns. After he and the president spoke by telephone, other members of the tribe donated an additional $800,000 to the Democrats that year. After the Republicans won the election, a further almost $200,000 went to the Republicans. But this is just what any other special interest or business does all of the time. The wealth of Foxwoods made it possible for the Pequots to have a large seat at the negotiating table.

Casinos were bound to come someday to New England. Legalizing gaming has been sweeping the country, often led to state lotteries. Cash-strapped state and local governments are always looking for new sources of funds. So the fact that these casinos ended up being owned by Native-American tribes is probably the only surprise to most people.

If you are like me, you have read some of the details of how this happened, but have never seen it all woven together. I was very impressed by the legal innovation of attorney Tom Tureen and the entrepreneurship of ex-chairman Haywood. The work of either one could be the subject of an interesting leadership case history.

The full vision of ex-chairman Haywood is mind-boggling. He worked on bringing a professional football team into the tribe, building a theme park, and tried to establish a bullet train to the casino among other ventures.

I hope someone will also write a business-oriented history of the same events to add more of that dimension to this story.

The lesson of this book is that you can achieve great things by setting very ambitious goals. Are you goals too puny? Why don't you increase them? How much more could you accomplish as a result?

May the odds always be in your favor!

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books