Apparently, tribal casino gambling in the United States is doing better than what some tribes would have gamblers to believe. During the most recent semi-annual meeting of the United South and Eastern Tribes, it was announced by National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman, Phil Hogen, that gambling revenue from tribal casinos was up 11% in 2006 compared to the previous year. Total revenue figures surpassed $25 Billion, which despite the complaints of some tribes looking for more gaming freedom, is a sign that tribal gaming is doing very well in the U.S.

Addressing those in attendance at the United South and Eastern Tribes meeting, Chairman Hogen said the Indian gaming industry has doubled its revenue since 2001, at which time it collectively brought in nearly $13 Billion in annual revenue. Region II of the National Indian Gaming Commission, which includes the area of California and Northern Nevada, more than quadrupled its annual casino revenue of $1.7 billion in 2001, to just over $7 Billion last year. The areas of Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma (Region V) had the largest annual increase in revenue during 2006. Region V brought in just over $2 Billion, which was a phenomenal 22% increase from the previous year.

Hogen emphasized these figures are a monumental feat considering how young the tribal casino gaming sector really is. Hogen also gave credit to the federal government for overseeing the growth of the U.S. facing tribal gaming sector. Being the good Chairman that he is, Hogen said that in order to hold U.S. bettors in good faith, the role of the National Indian Gaming Commission must be reaffirmed.

The NIGC falls within the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior, as deemed by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. Indeed, the NIGC has played a major role in regulating and sustaining the tribal casino gambling industry. All of the figures cited by the NIGC were compiled from nearly 400 casino operation audits. In addition to the regional assessments of the tribal gaming industry, the NIGC also prepared a historical comparison graph on the revenues of individual casinos since 1996.