“Half the time we meet, twice a month, bingo seems to take precedence over everything.” “It takes up a lot of our tribal council’s time,” Martin said. Where Indian bingo has succeeded, the big question on the reservation has become: “Exactly how should we spend all that money?”įor people unaccustomed to handling large amounts of money, who have lived in poverty on desolate land and who have grown accustomed to a life style based on kinship, sharing and federal subsidies, it is a question that consumes daily life, Indian tribal leaders said. We are not going to be ripped off again.”

“It is both the Indians’ fault and the management’s fault that a rat ran away with the cheese here,” said Susan Osuna, a member of the Barona tribe in San Diego County, which saw old family feuds exacerbated when their former bingo manager was charged with rigging games. That’s where it’s at.”īut for others, bingo has meant fraud, divisiveness and false promises. “I see it as tuition for college for my kids. “Look at me, I can barely read and write,” said Duro, a short, heavy-set man with a ready smile. Supreme Court to permit the states to regulate the games.įor many tribes, high-stakes bingo games have meant unexpected wealth, investment opportunities and hope for independence from federal grants and minimum-wage jobs.įor Henry Duro, 36, chairman of the San Manuel band of Mission Indians who opened a bingo palace in July near San Bernardino, the promise of financial security means a future of promise for his children. Some Southern California Indian bingo operations may earn $1 million a month or more in gross proceeds, according to state prosecutors who are asking the U.S.

“The tribes don’t have to tell us what they do with their money,” Shaw said. “However, we believe that is a very conservative figure.”Įxact profits are difficult to assess because tribes often will not reveal figures and because the games remain unregulated by federal or state authorities, Shaw said. Together, “they generate at least $100 million a year nationwide,” said Carl Shaw, spokesman for the assistant secretary of Indian affairs, Department of the Interior, in Washington.

Most Indian bingo parlors resemble mammoth warehouses where thousands of non-Indians gather each night and spend an average $50 or more each to win new cars or cash prizes of up to $50,000. 4, and three adjacent tribes may follow suit. The Rincon Indian Reservation in northern San Diego County began augmenting bingo with card games Oct.

The bingo operations have also opened the door to other forms of gambling.

High DesertHigh Stakes Bingo