Gambling Tribes See Profits Grow as Recession Continues

LINCOLN, CA -- As reported by the San Jose Mercury:  "Members of the United Auburn Indian Community used to live in poverty in Northern California, sleeping in cars or hunkering down
Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, CA  in rundown houses with plastic sheeting for windows.
Yet since the 2003 opening of their Thunder Valley casino near Lincoln, Calif., the 275-member tribe has left the shacks for upscale housing, opened a pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade school and have provided members with health care coverage.

Although tribal casinos profit reports are confidential, Nevada gambling experts estimate that Thunder Valley takes in $500 million to $600 million annually and probably surpasses the revenue of all the casinos in the Reno city limits..."

"Tribal members each get a per capita cut of the profits, as long as they have a high school diploma or GED and have taken courses in personal finance.

The tribe's spokesman boasts that the Auburn Indians have become one of the most generous philanthropic organizations in Northern California, donating $1 million to Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital..."