Kahnawake Gaming Op Ed Piece. I was pleased to see Joseph Quesnel's op ed piece, Why gaming is big on reserves (March 8/08), although it wasn't especially helpful to maverick Mohawk entrepreneurs hosting Internet gambling sites in Kahnawake, Quebec. Although Mr. Quesnel prefaced his remarks with the phrase, "Without getting into the sovereignty issue," there just is no avoiding it. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is currently in negotiations with eight countries, including the 27-member European Communities (EC), Japan and - wait for it - Canada over its right to continue asserting sovereignty by prohibiting remote gambling. In view of these negotiations, it would not be unreasonable for the U.S. to poke Canada in the chest about Mohawk servers which, after all, breach Canadian gambling laws as much as America's.
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In the wake of residential school settlements that have literally taken out organized religion in Canada, there may be understandably little sympathy for First Nations claiming a special and exclusive right to such a lucrative business. But if they do the homework to show their business is both eco-friendly and an important traditional feature of a unique culture, Mohawks may be able to persuade the feds to open up Internet gambling in Canada once and for all. (Read the complete letter here.)

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