Closing the casino in Tama would have a powerful effect on the economy of the north-central Iowa town. On the average, more than four-thousand people a day walk through the doors of the Meskwaki Bingo Casino. They spend a hundred-million dollars a year there, and the casino employs thirteen-hundred people from local communities. The national regulatory body for Native American gambling operations is the National Indian Gaming Commission, which has told the tribe to close the casino till it settles a standoff that began in March between its elected leaders and the group that says it was appointed to take their place. Despite the deadlines that have been set and passed, the groups show no sign of reaching compromise, though they say another election set for next week may settle the matter.
Iowa's Radio News Network
