Gambling has been an economic jackpot for a handful
of Indian tribes in recent years. But in northern New Mexico, some
members of the Taos Pueblo fear that plans to add a five-star
resort hotel and casino may bankrupt their
tribe.
The Taos Pueblo opened the Taos Mountain
Casino, its first, two years ago to raise money to pay off a $12
million land purchase. Since then, the casino has struggled to
survive. Last year, an $800,000 annual land payment and a 16
percent royalty collected by the state threatened to bankrupt the
operation.
Now, the pueblo’s enterprise board,
the tribal entity which operates the casino, wants to open a second
casino in the 37-year-old Kachina Lodge on the north side of Taos.
The tribe could spend upwards of $36 million to buy and renovate
the lodge, and some tribal members fear the expansion will lead to
economic disaster. They say the existing casino isn’t paying for
the educational and social services it promised the
tribe.
“By now, we should have millions of
dollars coming into the pueblo, but there’s nothing,” says Jonathan
Warm Day, a member of Residents in Support of Education
(RISE).
So far, tribal leaders have refused to
address the issue of gambling profits. Tom Teegarden, executive
director of the enterprise board, says expanding gambling
operations is a sound investment. “Of course, it will benefit the
pueblos and absolutely it will benefit the community,” he
says.
The 50 members of RISE have taken the
issue to the New Mexico congressional delegation, asking the Senate
Panel on Indian Affairs to investigate. “We’ll shut the casino
down,” says pueblo member Frank Concha. “We’ll shut the government
down.”
*Sara
Ford
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Gambling with the future?.
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