Building a Future for Tribal Gaming

Katherine Spilde, professor in the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management has lived a unique life. She has testified before the U.S. Congress 4 times, worked for Bill Clinton during his presidency, and although she is not a tribal member, Spilde was raised on a Native American Reservation in Minnesota.

Having grown up in one of the poorest reservations in the U.S., Spilde witnessed first hand the transformation of reservations as many tribes began to open up their own casinos. Combined with her love of indigenous culture, this experience encouraged Spilde to pursue Tribal Government Gaming as a career. Her decades of work as well as 18 years of research and teaching at San Diego State University were recently recognized with the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Award for the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts. 

“I was very honored and surprised to receive this award,” said Spilde. “Meeting other recipients and hearing how long many of them have been professors as well as the incredible quality and diversity of their work made me even more impressed. It felt like I was accepting an Oscar and saying ‘I’m just thrilled to be honored with the other nominees.’” 

Throughout her career, Spilde has pioneered innovations in tribal gaming. She created the only 4-year degree in Tribal Casino Operations Management in the United States and directs the Sycuan Institute of the Kumeyaay Nation at SDSU. The institute teaches its students to preserve, protect and extend tribal cultures and their communities. Spilde calls this approach “return on investment meets return on community” teaching students to view the tribal casino industry as a family business and a cultural revitalization; something she says contrasts Las Vegas. 

“If you’re learning to work for Corporate America, whether for a big hotel corporation like Hilton and Marriott, that’s a very business driven model,” said Spilde. “Our tribal governments run the casinos with a purpose and it’s really a social purpose first, but of course, it still takes money. It is really about finding that balance.”

Regardless of all her accomplishments, Spilde says mentoring and getting to know her students has been the most rewarding part of her career. 

“My students tend to be very unique, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial,” said Spilde. “They’re really doing something that very few have done so what’s been rewarding is to keep in touch with them and see all their amazing careers. To have this experience of this whole community of people feels like we’re creating not only a new field, but a whole new network of people with a passion for tribal gaming.”

Spilde explained that the opening of casinos by indigenous people has provided economic prosperity and government regulatory control that has “changed the landscape of Indian territory.” A significant part of Spilde and her colleagues’ research is understanding these developments. Spilde says that many of the tribes reaching out to her need less help on the government side and more so on the business side which is where she comes in. Her research examines casinos’ financial impact, internal operations and effective marketing. She prioritizes the tribal government's needs and goals, recognizing that it takes a lot of trust for tribes to share their data with researchers. 

Spilde remains focused on the future of tribal gaming. She says tribes are constantly evolving their casinos through changing political landscapes, the newest technology and competitive markets like sports betting. Spilde argues this makes tribal gaming one of the industry’s healthiest sectors as tribes are willing to innovate and grow while maintaining their cultural values. She also plans to grow the Sycuan Institutes' outreach by creating more partnerships with other tribes. 

“There’s always a fresh angle to incorporate,” said Spilde. “I’m all in at SDSU and I plan to stay here for my whole career while continuing to keep the school on the cutting edge of tribal gaming.”