A recent report shows that 2010 revenue from Native American casinos grew a little over one-percent, down significantly from previous years.
The Indian Gaming Industry Report shows that in 2008 revenue growth ran about 39-percent… and in 2009 it shrank to nearly 10-percent. The new numbers rank Wyoming 15th in the nation, compared to 28 other states that have Indian gaming.
Alan Meister is the author of the report. He says despite the drop in growth, future improvements to revenue may be on the way.
"Indian gaming is much like a lot of the rest of the economy," says Meister. "It’s been impacted by the downturn in the economy and there’s definitely a slower recovery period, and I think that goes for nationwide as well as Wyoming, and I think that as the economy recovers we’ll see some growth come back."
On Friday, the Wind River Casino opened a new, 90 room hotel attached to the facility and Meister says additions and improvements to Wyoming facilities might spur further growth.