Tribal Tourism
Minnesota Indian Reservations
A reservation or community is a segment of land that belongs to one or more groups of American Indians. It is land that was retained by American Indian tribes after ceding large portions of the original homelands to the United States through treaty agreements. It is not land that was given to American Indians by the federal government. There are hundreds of state and federally recognized American Indian reservations located in 35 states. These reservations have boundary lines much like a county or state has boundary lines.
In Minnesota, there are seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux) communities.
Anishinaabe Reservations
The seven Anishinaabe reservations include: Grand Portage located in the northeast corner of the state; Bois Forte located in extreme northern Minnesota; Red Lake located in extreme northern Minnesota west of Bois Forte; White Earth located in northwestern Minnesota; LeechLake located in the north central portion of the state; Fond du Lac located in northeast Minnesota west of the city of Duluth; and MilleLacs located in the central part of the state, south and east ofBrainerd.
All seven Anishinaabe reservations in Minnesota were originally established by treaty and are considered separate and distinct nations by the United States government. In some cases, the tribe retained additional lands through an Executive Order of the President. Six of the seven reservations were allotted at the time of the passage of the General Allotment Act. The Red Lake Reservation is the only closed reservation in Minnesota, which means that the reservation was never allotted and the land continues to be held in common by all tribal members.
Each Indian tribe began its relationship with the U.S.government as a sovereign power recognized as such in treaty and legislation. The Treaty of 1863 officially recognized Red Lake as separate and distinct with the signing of the Old Crossing Treaty of 1863. In this treaty, the Red Lake Nation ceded more than 11 million acres of the richest agricultural land in Minnesota in exchange for monetary compensation and a stipulation that the "President of the United States direct a certain sum of money to be applied to agricultural education and to such other beneficial purposes calculated to promote the prosperity and happiness of the Red Lake Indian."
The agreements of 1889 and the Agreement of 1904, Red Lake ceded another 2,256,152 acres and the Band was guaranteed that all benefits under existing treaties would not change.
Dakota Communities
The four Dakota Communities include: Shakopee Mdewakanton located south of the Twin Cities near Prior Lake; Prairie Island located near Red Wing; Lower Sioux located near Redwood Falls; and Upper Sioux whose lands are near the city of Granite Falls.
The original Dakota Community was established by treaty in 1851. The treaty set aside a 10-mile wide strip of land on both sides of the Minnesota River as the permanent home of the Dakota. However, in the aftermath of the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862, Congress abrogated all treaties made with them and the Dakota were forced from their homes in the state. The four communities were reestablished in their current localities by acts of Congress in 1886. The four Dakota Communities today represent small segments of the original reservation that were restored to the Dakota by Acts of Congress or Proclamations of the Secretary of Interior.
State of Minnesota Casinos
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Economic Benefits of Indian Gaming
Vital Statistics
Tribal casino-resort workforce economic benefits in 2005 Statewide Minnesota economic benefits totaled $429 million, including:
- $251 million in take-home pay, counting $24 million in paid time off
- $90 million in employment taxes
- $66 million in medical and dental healthcare benefits
- $15 million in 401k retirement savings
- $7 million plus in life/disability insurance and other benefits
Total statewide workforce of 12,900 jobs, including 11,100 full-time positions.
Average full-time tribal casino job cost $39,700, including:
- $21,700 in take-home pay, counting $2,200 in paid time off
- $8,500 in employment taxes
- $7,500 in medical and dental healthcare benefits
- $1,400 in retirement savings
- $600 plus in life/disability insurance and other benefits
Average tribal casino full-time employee W2 income was $29,900
Rural Minnesota economic benefits totaled $285 million, including:
- $159 million in take-home pay, counting $14 million in paid time off
- $65 million in employment taxes
- $48 million in medical and dental healthcare benefits
- $10 million in 401k retirement savings
- $4 million plus in life/disability insurance and other benefits
Total rural workforce of 9,100 jobs, including 7,900 full-time positions
Employment Taxes Paid in 2005
Tribal casino workforce (state and federal) employment taxes were $90.3 million in 2005.
Employees paid $40.8 million in income taxes, including $28.5 million in federal income tax withholdings and $12.3 million in Minnesota state income tax withholdings.
Employees and employers shared (nearly equally) $45.5 million in FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes, including $38.5 million in Social Security (federal old age survivor's disability insurance) and $7.0 million in Medicare (federal Medicare employee employment tax).
Employers paid $4.0 million in other employment taxes, including $2.3 million in unemployment insurance claims and $1.6 million in worker compensation insurance claims.
The average full-time tribal casino job paid $8,500 in employment taxes. The (weighted) average full-time tribal casino job contributed $8,500 in state and federal taxes counting both employee and employer shares.
Tribal casino employment taxes in rural Minnesota totaled $65 million. State and federal employment taxes on tribal casino jobs outside the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area totaled $65.4 million in 2005.
Excerpts from the January 2007 report; "The Workforce Economic Benefits of Minnesota Indian Gaming Association Member Tribes Casino-Resorts" provided courtesy of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.
Tribal Gaming and Employment
Tribal gaming is among Minnesota's top twelve employers. Twelve of Minnesota's eighteen tribal casinos are the largest employer in their communities. Statewide, here's the ranking:
MINNESOTA'S TOP 12 EMPLOYERS
| State of Minnesota | 54,471 |
| U.S. Government | 34,000 |
| Mayo Foundation | 33,700 |
| University of Minnesota System | 30,000 |
| Target Corporation | 25,734 |
| Allina Health System | 22,105 |
| Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota | 20,175 |
| Fairview Health Services | 18,500 |
| Northwest Airlines | 21,395 |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | 18,380 |
| 3M Company | 15,760 |
| TRIBAL CASINOS | 12,900 |
From CityBusiness "Book of Lists" 2006
Casinos
Currently, the eleven Minnesota tribes operate 18 casinos in the State of Minnesota. The Minnesota American Indian Chamber of Commerce is proud to represent 16 of those casinos through Tribal and Casino membership with the Chamber. In Minnesota, all tribal gaming casinos are managed by tribal governments or tribal gaming commissions as specified under tribal ordinances and federal law. The Chamber takes a non-political role in promoting these tribal enterprises as Indian owned and operated businesses. Casino gaming has generated needed revenue for tribal governments, resulting in significant improvement in the quality of life on most Reservations
In Minnesota, all tribal gaming casinos are managed by tribal governments or tribal gaming commissions as specified under tribal ordinances and federal law. The Chamber takes a non-political role in promoting these tribal enterprises as Indian owned and operated businesses.
Tribal Gaming and Tourism
Tribal casinos have proven to be a major tourist attraction in Minnesota, second only to the Mall of America. In 2000, Minnesota's tribal casinos attracted more than 20.7 million patrons, about 17% (almost 3.7million) from outside the state. Those visitors spent an estimated $191.2 million on lodging, food, gas and other purchases on and off the reservation.
Tribal Gaming and Rural Development
Rural Minnesota benefits the most from tribal casino employment.
The rural (non-metro) tribal casino workforce had 9,100 jobs, including 7,900 full-time positions. The rural tribal casino payroll was $211 million, or 0.6% of all wages paid in rural Minnesota ($34 billion) in 2005. Tribal casino jobs brought $285 million in direct economic benefits to rural Minnesota, including $159 million in take-home pay, $65 million in employment taxes, $48 million in healthcare, $10 million in retirement savings, and $4 million in other employee benefits.
Tribal casino-resorts are leaders in the leisure and hospitality industry.
Rural (non-metro) tribal casino workers represent 9% of rural Minnesota's leisure and hospitality workforce and 18% of the rural industry payroll. Statewide, tribal casino workers are more likely than other leisure and hospitality workers to have healthcare or retirement benefits, paid time off, life or disability insurance or other benefits such as flexible savings accounts and tuition assistance. Tribal casino workers are also more likely to be full-time employees and have higher starting wages than other leisure and hospitality workers.
Tribal casino-resorts brought 9,100 jobs to rural Minnesota. TRIBAL CASINO casino-resorts outside the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area employed 7,900 full-time and 1,200 part-time positions in 2005. Seventy-two percent of TRIBAL CASINO (full-time) employees work in rural Minnesota.
Excerpts from the January 2007 report; "The Workforce Economic Benefits of Minnesota Indian Gaming Association Member Tribes Casino-Resorts" provided courtesy of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association
Tribal Gaming and Government Assistance
Tribal gaming has eased the burden on state and county public assistance programs by providing gainful employment for rural communities. AFDC payments have decreased 17.8% in casino counties, according to state records. And the number of Native Americans receiving general assistance has decreased by more than 58%, remarkable testimony to the impact of tribal gaming in moving Minnesota Indians toward economic self-sufficiency. Nearly 6% of casino employees were receiving some form of general assistance prior to casino employment.
An estimated 11.5% of persons employed at tribal casinos were receiving unemployment assistance prior to employment at a casino. Nearly 22% had been out of work at least three months, and over 15% had been out of work more than six months prior to casino employment.
This information provided courtesy of the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association