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One of the fastest-growing industries in the US is American Indian gaming. A new casino seems to open every day, often employing thousands of people. Many of these tribal gaming establishments also open hotels at the casino sites, expanding the job opportunities for American Indians.
“One of the complaints we always seem to hear is that when people go to tribal gaming establishments, there are no [American] Indians working there,” says Jacob Coin, executive director of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA).
According to Coin, the problem is that the growth of tribal gaming establishments is often so fast that it outstrips tribes' abilities to fill all the open positions. To offset this vacuum, many tribes with casinos have specific training programs offered through individual tribal offices for positions in casino and hotel management.
These programs vary widely and are usually conducted through individual tribal governments. Coin says that though there is a big need, there has not been a centralized system set up to inform tribal members living off the reservations of job openings.
Since gaming is allowed only on tribal land, casinos and hotels fall under the sovereign tribal governments' jurisdiction, and programs and opportunities can vary widely. This independence has also set up an alternative economy for tribes, which administer the casinos, hotels and training programs themselves.
According to Coin, one of the reasons tribes are having difficulty filling the management positions with tribal members is that gaming has only recently become protected as a legal enterprise, so tribes haven't had the time to cultivate a younger workforce made primarily of tribal members. President Reagan signed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, and California formally recognized gaming only two years ago with the passage of Proposition 1A.
“There really hasn't been enough time to properly train enough people to fill these positions," Coin says. "Indian gaming is a relatively young industry.”
For American Indians interested in gaming, Coin recommends the following:
- The first step is to contact tribal governments and ask what kind of training programs and specific job opportunities are available at their tribal casinos.
- If your tribe does not have a casino, often other tribes, at their own discretion, will take qualified individuals from other American Indian tribes to work in their casinos.
The federal government allows tribally run organizations and businesses to exercise American Indian preference laws, which say American Indian applicants can be given higher ranking in consideration for employment positions. Coin says some of the Indian preference laws are not always enforced and often it is up to individual tribal governments to decide on their stringency.
Tribal gaming establishments offer a variety of jobs in addition to casino and hotel management positions. These jobs include floor managers, card dealers, maintenance personnel and restaurant management positions.
