A proposal to legalize sports betting in Hawaii remains alive, despite mixed opinions among lawmakers and citizens.

And it's unlikely to be the last major deal struck by an Indian tribe. Less than a generation ago, the Seminole tribe of Florida were living a precarious life of poverty in the Everglade swamps.

In the 1970s, Seminole tribes began to run small bingo games on their reservations to raise revenue. They won court challenges to initiate Indian gaming on their sovereign land. Many U.S. tribes ...