The Dakota people, including the Lower Sioux, Upper Sioux, Prairie Island and Shakopee tribes, have lived on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River and the lakes of Minnesota for centuries. After many years of struggle these first nation people were recognized as a tribal government in 1969.

As part of working to overcome economic struggles Norman Crooks, who was the Shakopee Tribal Chairman, introduced High Stakes Bingo in 1982 and opened Little Six Bingo. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed in 1988, and allowed tribes to negotiate with the state of Minnesota to offer different casino games. Little Six Bingo became Little Six Casino, and continues to this day. Continue reading →

The Gamblers is a 1970 American drama film. Relatively rare and somewhat unknown, this film was written and directed by Ron Winston. Ron Winston was a talented writer and director and had done some high profile TV series and several feature film by the time he died in 1973 at the age of only 40.

The Gamblers stars Suzy Kendall, Don Gordon and Pierre Olaf, and was shot entirely on location in Dubrovnik, Croatia. At the time the film was made, the whole area was Yugoslavia and the dictator ruling the region at the time, Marshall Tito offered numerous incentives for film to be made in the region in order to promote it. Although The Gamblers was only a moderate budget film, but certainly makes full use of the publicity incentives by showing the truly gorgeous scenery of the region in great detail. The film is loosely based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel The Gambler. Continue reading →