Data and Code for Gaming Opportunities: American Indian Casinos, Cash Transfers, and Income Mobility on the Reservation

We assemble a panel dataset at the individual level for primary and secondary tax filers residing on AI reservations in 1989. This initial year predates the entry of most tribal governments into the Indian gaming industry; the vast majority of tribal casinos began operations after 1989. We then examine the effect of casino operations and cash distribution payments from casino revenues on the income-rank evolution of these individuals over time.1 Year-by-year income rank is calculated for each year within each filers’ year-of-birth cohort, and we control for time-varying filing status, household structure, and geographic residence in all analyses. Our results indicate that casino operations provide an unambiguous increase in family income rank for those residing on reservations with an operating casino relative to those on reservations without a casino. On average, we find that the presence of an operating casino increases relative income rank by half a percentage point. <br><br>