Abstract

Cashing in

Relations between high-priced lobbyists, politicians and tribal interests have flourished along with gambling on Indian land. Since 1988, when the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, about 200 tribes have entered the field. Revenues have grown from $570 million in 1990 to $7 billion last year, representing about 10 percent of legalized gambling in the U.S. Carol Elder Bruce, the sixth of seven independent counsels is investigating interior secretary Bruce Babbitt's 1995 veto of a casino planned by three Chippewa Indian tribes in Hudson, Wisconsin. The casino was opposed by gambling tribes in nearby Minnesota who, fearing competition, lavished Democrats with campaign contributions and hired lobbyists with ties to the Administration.