By Tim Steller | Arizona Daily Star
One of Southern Arizona’s big sources of donations to charities appears to be drying up.
For 13 years, casino-owning tribes have donated “revenue-sharing” money to local nonprofit organizations doing everything from desert conservation to medical treatment for kids to housing the elderly. The exact amount donated locally each year is unclear, but it is probably in the low seven figures.
Now, an interpretation of the tribal casino compacts by the Arizona Gaming Department lays down a rule that seems to choke off that funnel of gambling money.