However, a team of Harvard researchers recently released preliminary results of a study on the pandemic’s impact on the 574 federally recognized tribes. Tribal gambling operations closed about two months ago, so the effects are just starting to be felt. It’s difficult to find accurate numbers for casino revenue and the programs it supports because tribes generally don’t give that information. The law was intended to help impoverished tribes build a sustainable economy.
While corporations or billionaires own casinos in places like Las Vegas, tribes are sovereign nations that operate them under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.
