I happened to run across a Seattle Times article from July 2006 titled "Tulalip Tribes' clout on the rise." In that article the then tribal treasurer was described as grinning as he riffled through a stack of checks 5 inches high.

Those checks were in the amount of $2.3 million and represented the 2% of gambling profits the tribe is required by agreement to donate to off set impacts of their gaming operations.

That was $2.3 million representing 2% of profits. If my math is correct that means they made $115,000,000 in profits off of their gaming operations for that year.

The article also reported that the tribe estimated its 2005 net income as about $102 million. (Comment: That does not mesh with the $115MM figure above but I am only reciting what is in the article).

So, not only does that article provide some otherwise almost impossible to obtain insight into the robust nature of Tulalip business ventures it also provides an understanding of why the tribe is running its current ad campaign touting its donations to the community. It wants to get credit for being a good neighbor but in fact is simply doing what it agreed to do in order to obtain certain operational benefits from a prior Governor.