The IGRA rules were beginning to take effect in 1992 after the tribal administration hired a new “tribal attorney.” They had previous experience as a State of Michigan bar member, working in a local county court as an assistant. After our first year of formulating housing policies, casino management came into play as I was the vice-chairman of the gaming board. This led to internal conflicts of administrative and tribal member governance. Policy and procedure were not written, and management was done by consensus.
Managing and directing in the tribal administration was going to be heavily influenced by establishing internal controls. This also required cooperation and accountability from the parties involved with and managing the processes. Especially in the flow of “cash, tokens, and chip inventory.” The three resources commanded the drop requirements needed to secure deposits for daily operations. The Casino/Bingo Board, now called the CEO Board, had been associated with the term “gaming board of directors or commissioners”, introduced through federal regulation of “Indian Gaming Proceeds” generated by slot machines, bingo, and table games. All three operated in a gaming environment or a casino.
Establishing internal written procedures and controls was not a priority at this stage of tribal government business growth. It had been an issue for several years and left operational payroll costs out of the equation. Business credit was becoming more of an option, and did not help internal growth in monetary management from the tribal council or delegated boards and committees.
We met sporadically then and attended meetings in broom closets and hotel rooms, which we had just built. As vice-chairman of the Gaming Board, I began the task of establishing operational standards for the tribal treasurer of the tribal council. The controller had noticed a deposit variance in the chip inventory and wanted to talk about new procedures to reduce the errors.
The table games/shift manager came to my home on the reserve, soon after finding out about the meeting. Next thing one knows, this non-tribal member began asking for my assistance in preventing possible “mishandling” of the chip inventory. The chip inventory is the heart of the table games like poker, blackjack, and craps.
Soon, I would discover the true nature of politics as the tribal government was merging into the corporate approach to managing the tribal members’ assets. During this time, the managers were becoming more representative of the workforce needed to service the influx of slot machine players.
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