NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION (NIGA) CONFERENCE OPENS TO REFLECT
$20 BILLION INDUSTRY

With the glitter of a $20 billion industry shining through the opening doors behind them, National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) leaders and a host of dignitaries launched the 2006 NIGA Trade Show at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

NIGA Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr. was flanked by Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills, former Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and New Mexico All Indian Pueblo Council Chairman Amadeo Shije. Together, they underscored the success of the industry, its responsible growth and the vast impacts it has had toward improving the lives of millions of Americans, Indian and non-Indian.

They all made the same point: Yes, it’s great wealth, but even greater is the sharing of it. “We’re not just about Indian Country – this comes from our hearts,” said Stevens. “We’re about rebuilding and improving our communities, building schools and hospitals, creating jobs and opportunity, and sharing our wealth in ways that will help all people.”

In the Trade Show, some 400 vendors awaited their share of the Indian Gaming economic pie. Over 5,000 people are expected at the three-day Conference and Trade Show. “We’ve come a long way,” said Nighthorse Campbell. “Who would have thought in 1988 that our bingo games in tin shacks or tents would have developed into a $20 billion industry? Tribes have done it all and yet remained true to their beliefs, helping not only the tribes, but their local communities, their regions and even their states.”

The Trade Show is dominated by the flashing lights of gaming technology, but it also shows a lengthy list of bankers, financial consultants, investment counselors and all the trappings of an industry that is not only successful, but still in rapid growth. Also present in great numbers were Indian Country regulators. About two thirds of America’s 562 federally recognized Indian tribes are involved in gaming on some level, 184 of them members of NIGA.

“This show is one indication of what happens when tribes get together and work together,” said Shije, who represents 19 Pueblo nations in New Mexico. “Everywhere, our communities are benefiting. Everyone wins. Everyone shares.” Mills, his face beaming, his eyes reflecting pride in Indian Country’s emergence as an economic force, spoke of traditional values that remain constant in a time of great development and wealth.

“Our cultures and traditions are the spirit behind the wealth and success,” he said. “That is our strength. More and more of our young people are challenged to take these virtues and values and create a career. Very few industries include traditions and the cultural values. That is the spirit of Indian gaming.”