![]() Spending on lobbying by gaming tribes hit a record high of more than $26.5 million in 2015, the same year that tribal gaming revenues experienced their highest growth in recent years. And while there are winners and losers in just about every such conflict, one group seems to do well no matter the outcome: lobbyists. No wonder tribes push back, in Washington as well as at home, when their rivals move to launch or expand gaming operations. ![]() According to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the Indian gaming industry brought in almost $30 billion in revenue in 2015 (the latest year for which data is available), marking a growth spurt after increasing gradually over the last decade. The latest conflict over immensely profitable gaming facilities located on tribal lands is unlikely to be the last, what with so much at stake. The Kalispel claim the gaming operation would draw business away from their own casino, located only two miles away from the would-be Spokane one, and thereby imperil their tribe’s continued well-being. ![]() In April, another skirmish broke out in Indian Country when the Kalispel Tribe of Indians filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Spokane Tribe of Indians from building a casino. Tribal battles make for well-fed lobbyists
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