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Abstract
The success of US Indigenous casinos prompted the Chiefs of Ontario (an Ontario Indigenous political organization) to explore the possibility of creating one First Nations casino to benefit all Ontario First Nations. These discussions and subsequent negotiations with the Province of Ontario led to the creation of Casino Rama located on the Mnjikaning First Nation in south-central Ontario on July 31, 1996.
The following study explores the social and cultural impacts of Casino Rama. More specifically, I am concerned with: how the casino relates to historical events such as the Fur Trade and Land Treaties; the problematic of gambling as an economic option; the community's negotiation of neoliberal structures introduced as a result of the casino; and the problematic of the casino agreement that includes the Mnjikaning First Nation, Ontario First Nations and the Province of Ontario. The methodology incorporated in this study includes historical research, life history interviews and participant observation.
The results suggest that the casino is contiguous with initiatives such as Land Treaties and the Fur Trade in that the economic arrangements appear equitable, but the results reflect an unequal power relationship. This has been accomplished by a unilateral casino agreement imposed by the Province despite the objections of all Ontario First Nations. Furthermore, Casino Rama is marketed as an "Aboriginal casino," but in reality the Province regulates it, and it is managed by an American casino management company.
In the past, Indigenous people engaged in gambling as a group social leisure activity. The casino differs from Indigenous gambling since it operates on an economic model. Individual gambling problems are not significant in Mnjikaning. On the other hand, the neoliberal structures associated with the casino are a significant problem. Such structures include: desired casino expansion, individualization of social relations, and legal policy designed to protect capital. These structures are in opposition to the community's collective identity known as bimaadiziwin, generally defined as a "holistic way of life." Bimaadiziwin functions as a community habitus that negotiates a continued space in the community in spite of the new neoliberal order.
