The general counsel for the Seminole Tribe of Florida said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to hear an Indian gaming dispute is "good news for us and tribes across the country."

Like others, the Seminoles offer electronic casino machines that are technologically advanced versions of pull-tab and bingo. The machines are used in states where Class III gaming is illegal, or when states refuse to negotiate Class III compacts.

But the Department of Justice argued that the machines resembled slot machines and should be classified as Class III. The federal courts have not agreed with this interpretation, however, and yesterday the Supreme Court declined to get involved in the dispute.

"Four separate federal Circuit Courts of Appeals found these dispensers lawful. The tribes have been litigating these cases for a decade now and they always win," former National Indian Gaming Commission member Liz Homer told The Native American Times.

The cases are U.S. v. Santee Sioux Tribe, No. 03-762, and U.S. v. Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, No. 03-740.

Get the Story:
Court: No dice on try to limit Indian gaming (The Miami Herald 3/2)
U.S. SUPREME COURT: Tribal gaming boosted by ruling (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/2)
Victory for Indian gaming, Tribes beat back state challenges (The Native American Times 3/1)