This paper should be grounded in EXISTING SCHOLARLY LITERATURE. There are varying viewpoints on the impacts of a tribal casino among researchers as many praise the casino’s presence with economic success like low unemployment and the overall betterment of the community. However, other research questions the social impacts to tribal members. It is also interesting that the general view of gambling is immoral and unsavory (see source number 5 below) yet, tribal casinos have been celebrated because of their economic impact, especially for Native Americans who have long endured suffering.
Could it be though, that those unsavory effects of gambling are also impacting tribal communities and surrounding areas in a negative way? Specifically, is there evidence that a tribal casino increases drug related crimes and deaths in the surrounding area? With existing research demonstrating causality between gambling and drug and alcohol usage (see source #3 below), and other research highlighting these problems within native American tribes (see sources #10-13), it raises curiosity if there is a link between the presence of a casino and drug related crimes and death.
To narrow the scope, I wanted to focus in on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in NC, who’s tribal casino opened in 2007 (see source #7) We could use the Lumbee tribe in NC as a comparison group; they do NOT have a casino. The paper must have:
- Strong Research topic/question
- a research design which describes each variable, methodology used, and major sources.
Research Design Incorporating the Lumbee Tribe:
1. Research Question (Revised):
“Does the presence of tribal casinos increase the incidence of drug-related crime and trafficking on Native American reservations, compared to similar areas without a casino?”
By including the Lumbee Tribe in your research, you can investigate whether there is a significant difference in drug-related crime rates between a tribe with a casino (EBCI) and a similar tribe without one (Lumbee).
2. Comparative Analysis:
-
EBCI:
- Independent Variable: Presence of a Casino (Harrah’s Cherokee Casino).
- Dependent Variable: Drug-related crime rates (e.g., possession, trafficking, arrests).
- Time Frame: Analyze drug-related crime rates before and after the establishment or expansion of the casino (using data from 5-10 years before and after).
-
Lumbee Tribe:
- Independent Variable: Absence of a Casino (serving as the control group).
- Dependent Variable: Drug-related crime rates (collected over the same time period for comparison).
- Time Frame: Analyze the same time period as for the EBCI, ensuring consistency in the data collection and comparison.
3. Quantitative Research Methodology:
-
Difference-in-Differences (DiD) Analysis:
- DiD compares the changes in drug-related crime rates in both the EBCI (with a casino) and the Lumbee Tribe (without a casino) over time.
- Pre-treatment period: Collect data for both tribes before the casino’s establishment or expansion in the EBCI territory (e.g., from 2000 to 2010, depending on data availability).
- Post-treatment period: Collect data for both tribes after the casino was established or expanded (e.g., from 2011 to 2021).
- Outcome: If there is an increase in drug-related crime for the EBCI after the casino’s establishment and no similar increase for the Lumbee Tribe, this could suggest a potential causal link between the casino and drug-related crime.
-
Regression Analysis:
- Use regression models to control for other variables that could affect drug-related crime rates, such as:
- Population changes: Both the EBCI and Lumbee populations could grow due to tourism, employment opportunities, or other factors.
- Economic conditions: Unemployment rates, income levels, and poverty rates should be included to ensure that the economic benefits or disadvantages are accounted for.
- Law enforcement resources: Compare differences in law enforcement presence or drug prevention programs between the two tribes.
- The regression will help to isolate the effect of the casino while controlling for these factors.
- Use regression models to control for other variables that could affect drug-related crime rates, such as:
4. Data Collection:
-
EBCI:
- Use crime data from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Police Department, FBI UCR, BIA, and local law enforcement to track drug-related crimes (e.g., arrests, trafficking cases).
- Focus on drug-related crime trends before and after the establishment or expansion of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.
-
Lumbee Tribe:
- Use crime data from Robeson County and surrounding counties where Lumbee members reside, along with state or federal crime databases like the FBI UCR.
- Since the Lumbee Tribe does not have a casino, this data will serve as a baseline to see how drug-related crime rates compare in an area without a large casino operation.
5. Control Variables:
For both groups, control for:
- Economic factors: Poverty, unemployment, median household income, and general economic health (since casino presence might improve economic conditions).
- Tourism and population changes: An increase in visitors due to the casino might affect crime rates in EBCI areas, while the Lumbee area remains less tourist-heavy.
- Law enforcement and drug prevention programs: Differences in policing or drug prevention strategies in the two communities should be accounted for, as they might impact drug crime rates.
II. Put together and report an annotated bibliography
of at least 8 peer-reviewed scholarly publications
related to the topic of your term research project.
1) Conner, T.W. and Taggart, W.A.
(2013), Assessing the Impact of Indian Gaming on American Indian Nations: Is
the House Winning?†. Social Science Quarterly, 94: 1016-1044. https://doi-org.prox.lib.ncsu.edu/10.1111/ssqu.12009
This
study compares census data from 330 Indian nations using a pre/post-test design
as they assess in 1990 and again in 2000 among gaming and non-gaming tribal nations.
They also distinguished the study among the three classes of gaming (Class
II only, Class III no pay, and Class III pay), the latter of which includes the
EBCI my study will examine. Notable findings include a modest positive effect
on unemployment and reservation conditions.
2) French, L., & Hornbuckle, J.
(1977). An Analysis of Indian Violence: The Cherokee Example. American Indian
Quarterly, 3(4), 335–356. https://doi.org/10.2307/1183859
This
is an ancient study; however, comparing “apples to apples” is a great
resource. It explicitly cites crime statistics among the EBCI in the 1970s,
well before a casino appeared. The article analyzes census data with a focus on
four violent personal crimes; homicide, forcible rape, armed robbery, and
assault (French et al.). Shockingly, this analysis shows a 20% criminal homicide rate
in the Qualla Boundary in 1975, up from 9.52% in 1974 (French et al.). Comparing
this to the state of North Carolina’s 2.84% criminal homicide rate in 1975 (French
et al.), there’s some apparent variation.
3) Barnes, G. M., Welte, J. W.,
Tidwell, M. C., & Hoffman, J. H. (2015). Gambling and Substance Use:
Co-occurrence among Adults in a Recent General Population Study in the United
States. International gambling studies, 15(1), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/14459795.2014.990396
A generalized study that focuses on the
co-occurrence of substance use and abuse in gambling in the US, not specific to
tribal casinos. This study contains a robust secondary data analysis and
detailed sampling techniques they employed, such as the Survey of Gambling in
the U.S. (SOGUS2). Overall, this study provides solid evidence that problem
gambling is closely linked with alcoholism and drug use.
4) William N. Evans & Julie H.
Topoleski, 2002. “The Social and Economic Impact of
Native American Casinos,” NBER
Working Papers 9198,
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
This
study acknowledges the positive economic impacts of tribal gaming in the
surrounding communities; however, it also measures crime and finds a notable 10%
increase in violent crime in the years following the casino’s opening.
5) Janes, P. L., & Collison, J.
(2004). Community Leader Perceptions of the Social and Economic Impacts of
Indian Gaming. UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal, 8(1).
Retrieved from https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/grrj/vol8/iss1/2
This study incorporates crime-specific
data and references prior studies that have analyzed the correlation between
tribal casinos and crime, specifically studies in the Midwest and Wisconsin. There
are also perspectives of eight tribal community leaders that accompany the
various impacts of casino presence.
6) Momper, S. L. (2010). Implications
of american indian gambling for social work research and practice. Social
Work, 55(2), 139-46. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/55.2.139 https://www.americangaming.org/policies/tribal-gaming/
7) Courtney Lewis. (2017). Betting on
Western North Carolina: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort’s Regional Impacts. Journal
of Appalachian Studies, 23(1), 29–52. https://doi.org/10.5406/jappastud.23.1.0029
This
is an excellent investigation into the regional impacts of Harrah’s Cherokee
Casino in North Carolina. It examines factors like education, poverty levels,
and median income, which is much lower within the EBCI’s Qualla Boundary
(Lewis, 2017). This study also carefully examines the concept of per capita
payments from casino revenue and their social impacts.
8) Earl L. Grinols, David B.
Mustard; Casinos, Crime, and Community Costs. The Review of Economics
and Statistics 2006; 88 (1): 28–45. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.2006.88.1.28
This
study investigates the link between casinos and crime in communities outside of
major metropolitan gambling destinations like Las Vegas or Atlantic City.
9) Asa Revels, & Janet Cummings.
(2014). The Impact of Drug Trafficking on American Indian Reservations with
International Boundaries. American Indian Quarterly, 38(3), 287–318. https://doi.org/10.5250/amerindiquar.38.3.0287
10) Whelshula, M., Hill, M., Galaitsi, S.E. et al. Native
populations and the opioid crisis: forging a path to recovery. Environ
Syst Decis 41, 334–340 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-021-09813-3
11) Trends in Fatal Opioid-Related
Overdose in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities, 1999–2021, Bauer,
Cici et al. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 66, Issue 6, 927 –
935
12)
Drug Overdose Deaths in the
United States, 2001–2021 (2/22/2022)
By Spencer, Merianne R. ; Miniño, Arialdi M. ; Warner, Margaret
https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:122556
13) Excerpt: “In both 2020 and 2021, rates were highest for non-Hispanic
American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) people (42.5 per 100,000 and 56.6,
respectively), and lowest for non-Hispanic Asian people (4.6 and 4.7,
respectively)”.
14) DEA, United States Drug Enforcement
Administration: https://www.dea.gov/stories/2019/2019-03/2019-03-29/dea-asheville-post-duty-engages-first-ever-major-takedown-indian