Yup. Their casinos pretty much scalped the white man of their money.
I suspect sharing the casino money with a possible 25,000 new tribesmen might have something to do with it. It might also have something to do with the 25,000 new applicants thinking they’re going to get casino money.
My children’s Dad gets a check from the Nation every year, I don’t know how much it is, but way back when it was $25 from oil revenues. But neither he nor his parents lived on the reservation under Nation laws, and that may have something to do with it. The mostly full blood heritage Cherokees that live on the reservation get a lot of benefits, especially in housing from the Nation. His Mom was of full blood Cherokee heritage, but his Dad was only half. My grandkids are the last in line to be able claim the heritage and they don’t get any revenue as their heritage is diluted.