It’s understandable why some members of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation are upset over tribal land purchases in Las Vegas. Since 2020 the tribal government has spent $115 million on three deals for land along the Strip in the nation’s famous gambling city.

While the tribal government has no definite plans for the land, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark Fox defends the purchases as a smart investment. He says the tribe’s options include building a casino resort or flipping the land to new owners.

Opponents of the land deals argue the reservation has more pressing needs than investing in Las Vegas land. They point to the need for improved health care, housing, road construction and law enforcement. The land deals have resulted in protests, even in Las Vegas.

Fox points to investments the tribal government has made using oil and gas revenue for improvements across the reservation and in the state. In 2019, the tribe opened the Good Road Recovery Center in Bismarck, an alcohol and addiction recovery center. It invested $25 million in the center in hopes of no longer needing to send tribal members to other states for recovery treatment.

From fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2023, the tribes received more than $1.5 billion in oil and gas tax revenue, according to North Dakota Legislative Council figures.

The large amount of revenue has resulted in disagreements on how it should be used. It’s also prompted claims that tribal government hasn’t been transparent with its transactions.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s inspection of council minutes and other tribal documents posted online since 2020 found no public votes or resolutions on two of the three land deals along the Strip.

Fox said a purchase from MGM involved a nondisclosure agreement so tribal leadership couldn’t publicly discuss the deal until it was finalized.

Still, there appears to be a lack of transparency with many of the tribal council actions. The Society of Professional Journalists pointed to a “litany of transparency issues” when giving its annual Black Hole Award to the Fox administration in March.

There’s nothing wrong with making investments outside of North Dakota. State government invests in many different areas, though there’s been a recent push to invest more in North Dakota. But the Las Vegas land investments could prove to be risky for the tribe.

The asking price for the land had dropped sharply when the tribe purchased it. That doesn’t mean the tribe won’t come out ahead in the deals.

The tribal council needs to improve its communication with members on and off the reservation. With the amount of oil and gas revenue coming in, it’s reasonable for members to want to know how it’s spent.