Comments From External Reader

The thesis is an examination of what the author refers to as the "moral dilemma" facing Aboriginal communities as they adopt commercial gaming as a tool for economic development. It reviews the literature on the history of gaming practices in traditional Aboriginal societies, discusses the role of gaming as an economic development initiative in Aboriginal communities, outlines some of the critical issues involved in integrating high stakes gambling in Native communities and draws conclusions about the issue.

A major strength of the thesis is the review of a wide variety of sources pertaining to a number of subject areas relevant to the topic under study. The author demonstrates a solid understanding of the literature in areas of gaming in traditional Aboriginal societies, economic development as it relates to gaming and the key issues relating to the impacts of gaming in Aboriginal communities. The achievement is particularly noteworthy considering the fact that the field of study is so new as a topic of research in Canada. In this sense the author makes a significant contribution to the field. It is an important emerging research field which will have significant theoretical and applied applications in the future. This study is important as one of the first scholarly works in the field. - Don McCaskill, Department of Native Studies, Trent University.