[jeremiah]

The big money is not in card rooms, but slots. Where I live, I can go to 5 different large tribal casinos that are 90 minutes or less away from me. The state legislature ruled that if a tribe buys property, it becomes de facto part of the reservation. Since non tribal gambling has no slots, and smoking is not allowed anywhere indoors except on tribal land, where do any customers of gaming go?

[kingu]

The big money is not in card rooms, but slots. Where I live, I can go to 5 different large tribal casinos that are 90 minutes or less away from me. The state legislature ruled that if a tribe buys property, it becomes de facto part of the reservation. Since non tribal gambling has no slots, and smoking is not allowed anywhere indoors except on tribal land, where do any customers of gaming go?

So it's up to you and folks like you to get several laws changed - dumping the smoking bans, permitting the establishment of casinos, allowing slot machines in those casinos, etc.

As to the non-tribal land becoming tribal land - the state can pass as many laws as they like, but unless the secretary of the interior signs off on the land transfer, it's not tribal land. It's easier to convince one person vs. convincing a legislature filled with politicians who look to tribes for campaign funding.

None of this, of course, has anything to do with internet gambling.