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Podcasts Take Two
Navajo casinos stimulate economy — at a cost
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Nov 25, 2013
Listen • 4:13
Navajo casinos stimulate economy — at a cost
It's been five years since the Navajo Nation opened its first casino. For two decades the tribe resisted the lure of the quick money maker. They feared the social ills that tend to come with gaming -- compulsive gambling, alcoholism, crime and loss of culture.
Twin Arrows is the Navajo Nation's fourth casino. The tribe plans to open two more. So far the revenue is going into paying back the building loan. Eventually it will go to the tribal government to hire more police officers, build better schools and pave roads.
Twin Arrows is the Navajo Nation's fourth casino. The tribe plans to open two more. So far the revenue is going into paying back the building loan. Eventually it will go to the tribal government to hire more police officers, build better schools and pave roads.
(
Courtesy of Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort
)

It's been five years since the Navajo Nation opened its first casino. For two decades the tribe resisted the lure of the quick money maker. They feared the social ills that tend to come with gaming -- compulsive gambling, alcoholism, crime and loss of culture.

It's been five years since the Navajo Nation opened its first casino. For two decades the tribe resisted the lure of the quick money maker. They feared the social ills that tend to come with gaming -- compulsive gambling, alcoholism, crime and loss of culture.

From Flagstaff, Fronteras' Laurel Morales takes a look at gaming's impacts on the Navajo tribe.