Alberta First Nations Want Gambling Laws Reviewed
First Nations chiefs in Alberta, Canada are calling for the province's government to re-examine the way funds from their land casinos are being distributed among charitable organizations.
At a fall meeting held recently, the group of Alberta chiefs voted to review the breakdown of gaming funds generated by the casinos run by First Nations in the province and re-look at Alberta's First Nations gambling laws.
The Chief of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Chief Richard Kappo, said after the meeting: "We want to go back and re-examine the process and how it's done."
Kappo, also the Treaty 8 Grand Chief, said that the First Nations want, in particular, to reassess the $76 million that goes to Alberta's own lottery fund charities each year.
Last year, the five casinos on First Nations reserves in Alberta generated $262 million, according to a report that was commissioned by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission.
Gambling revenue earmarked for charity has increased significantly in the past five years.
First Nations Want More Gambling Revenue
The chiefs are keen to re-assess the way revenues generated by slot machines are split among charities and funds.
The policy adopted by the province between its gaming authorities and the First Nations stipulates that 40% of money from slot machines goes to a unique development fund for First Nations needs only. From this 40%, the five reserves that host the casinos are allowed 90% of the cash for their own community projects, while the remaining 10% is divided among the other 39 First Nations tribes.
At issue, however, is another 30% of the slots revenue that is taken by the Alberta Lottery Fund and distributed to its own charities.
This last policy has been questioned by the First Nations, and at least one university professor from the University of Lethbridge has called it unfair, saying: "What we're seeing is First Nations resources ...are actually being utilized to fuel Alberta's development."
"It's nothing more than a very neo-colonial approach during a time when the Canadian government has been promoting reconciliation," Prof. Yale Belanger told The Montreal Gazette.
A report which was released earlier this year, shows that there has been a substantial increase in the funds generated for the province's charities by First Nations casinos.
The report found that "in the past four years alone, First Nations casinos have channeled 89.3 times more money to the Alberta Lottery Fund than First Nations and Metis organizations drew from it in the past decade."
The Alberta government has stated that there are no plans in the pipeline to hold a formal review of the First Nations gambling revenues.
