The regional subject files include materials collected by anthropologist Katherine Spilde about Native American gaming, Native American communities in the United States, and the US and international gaming industries. The materials date from 1859 to 2015, with the bulk of materials dating from 1990 to 2010. Materials dating from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are a reproduction of a federal treaty and an ethnohistorical essay. The majority of the materials document Native American gaming following the passage of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The papers include research and subject files created by Dr. Spilde during her employment with the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), and Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED). The materials document Native American gaming enterprises both on and off reservations, the socioeconomic impact of gaming, the political history of gaming in the US, and international gaming. The series includes socioeconomic reports, testimonies, correspondence, memos, press releases, photographs, audiovisual materials, promotional materials, brochures, fact sheets, summaries, booklets, pamphlets, advertisements, tourism materials, journal articles, legal briefs, legislative documents, court opinions, notes, presentations, conference materials, periodicals, community newspapers, and newspaper articles.

The collection contains documentation on a number of Native American nations, including the Misi-zaaga'iganiing Anishinaabeg (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Mille Lacs Band); Gaa-waabaabiganikaag Anishinaabeg (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Band); Forest County Bodéwadmi (Forest County Potawatomi Community); Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe; Mohegan Tribe of Indians; Tulalip Tribes of Washington; Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota; Mandan, Hidatsa, and Sahnish (Arikara) (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota); and Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Other communities are also represented in the series, but to a lesser extent. In addition to materials about gaming and casinos, Dr. Spilde also collected documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials about Native American culture in general. The series documents regional and national trends in Native American gaming, and the greater gaming industry. Materials trace federal and state relationships with individual Native American nations, specifically concerning gaming enterprises.

The professional activities files include materials collected by anthropologist Katherine Spilde during her employment with the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA), and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development (HPAIED). The materials date from 1980 to 2005, with the bulk of materials dating from 1995 to 2005. The materials document the institutional research of NGISC, NIGA, and HPAIED as well as the legal and regulatory history of Native American gaming in the United States. Also included to a lesser extent are materials from her work with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Data Management, Needs Assessment, and Auditing Workgroup; the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Joint Task Force; and the National Council on Problem Gambling. The series contains research and subject files created by Dr. Spilde during her employment with various agencies of the federal government and universities. The series includes socioeconomic reports, testimonies, correspondence, memos, press releases, audiovisual materials, promotional materials, pamphlets, brochures, booklets, journal articles, legal briefs, legislative documents, notes, presentations, conference materials, and newspaper articles.

The Alaska subject files include materials about the Native Village of Barrow Iñupiat Traditional Government, the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, and state-tribal relationships dating from approximately 1993 to 2001. The materials include reports, informational booklets and packets, memos, newspaper articles, and pamphlets. Although there are some chronological gaps in this subseries, and the materials only cover a small number of the Native American communities in Alaska, the materials provide a snapshot of the political stance of the state of Alaska toward indigenous communities at the time.

The California subject files include materials about California Native American communities and documents gaming and non-gaming topics (1908, 1974-2013). Materials include socioeconomic reports, tribal constitutions and amendments, tribal-state gaming compacts, informational booklets, Dr. Spilde’s photographs from research trips, court opinions, correspondence, video recordings of televised programs, promotional materials, newspaper articles, Native American community periodicals, and books about indigenous culture. The California subject files document various Native American communities, Native American culture and politics, and the regulation of gaming in California.

The Great Basin regional subject files include materials about Native American communities and gaming in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming, dating from approximately 1990 to 2012. The materials include socioeconomic reports, annual reports, journal articles, periodicals, maps, Dr. Spilde’s research photographs, correspondence, and newspaper articles. The Great Basin subject files primarily document corporate casino enterprises on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, but also document Native American casino gaming in the Great Basin. Additional information about Great Basin Native Americans can be found in the California subject files.