By Strohmann Breeding
OLLI-Instructor Fred Paillet taught the class “The History of Indian Casino Gaming in America” on Monday, November 19, 2018 at Drake Field. Paillet is a longtime UofA faculty member, teaching in the Geosciences department.
Fred Paillet teaches OLLI students at Drake Field
Paillet taught from the audience, allowing the OLLI students to ask questions as needed and provided for a seminar-like feel to the classroom. THis unique teaching style, relating directly to the students, allowed for increased accessibility and approachability.
Paillet spoke on the origins of gaming in AMerica, touching on how Indians were forcibly removed from their homes and traveled westward. Needing to come up with new sources of revenue, the Native Americans turned to the local mobs, asking for advice.
This is the way gaming came about, from there, casino owners would jump through hoops set by the government, such as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The IGRA created the inaugural regulatory body on all gaming on Indian lands.
Paillet went on to illustrate to just how much of the U.S. economy gaming affects. In 2017, the total of all gambling proceeds in the U.S. was $158.54 Billion.
Paillet then took OLLI members through taxes and acts imposed by the Federal Government upon the Gaming community and ended the lecture detailing some of the largest casinos in America, including the Foxwoods Resort Casino, in Mashantucket, CT.
Paillet is a fan-favorite among OLLI students, make sure not to miss his next class with OLLI!
Related
