San Diego State University (SDSU) received a $5.47 million dollar donation from the Sycuan Indian tribe in East County, last week. This donation is one of the largest ever given to any university. It will be used to help institute Indian gaming in the country. The Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Nations Institute on Tribal Gaming will be managed by the university's hospitality and tourism management program.
Tribal Casinos currently constitute a $19 billion industry. Over $5 billion of that comes from California, annually, which has eight tribal casinos in San Diego alone. According to top officials, the institute will concentrate on three main selected areas.
These areas include training students to work in the industry, providing a public policy, and research. The University of Nevada's Las Vegas and Reno campuses have both held many courses on tribe casinos. The University of North Dakota has opened an Institute that focusing on tribal gaming policy.
The Sycuan Institute will be the first research and academic center working exclusively on tribal casinos. The center and the tribe will remain as separate, in business, despite the monetary exchange. Tribal casinos are different than other casinos.
Indian casinos are regulated by tribal-state gambling contracts, which vary in various states. Indian casinos are overseen by tribal gaming commissions, plus state and federal gaming authorities. It is similar to state run lotteries.
Fifty two casinos in California are controlled by separate tribal councils, which make issues sticky. They all have their separate agendas, and ways of using the casinos. California Indian gaming is the largest in the United States. In California alone, thousands of have been employed, despite knowledge of the tribal communities.
SDSU director Carl Winston, believes that by fall 2006, students looking to major in hospitality, with a focus on tribal gambling will be accepted. The university plans to host a yearly summit on tribal gambling. The idea is to attract researchers, business professionals and maybe even policy makers. |
