"The burgeoning Indian gambling industry has never gotten sufficient scrutiny from regulators at any level of government. A recent federal appeals court ruling ensures that it will get even less.

In a decision that got little notice outside Indian country, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled last month that the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) has no authority to regulate slot machines, blackjack and other Nevada-style gambling at Indian casinos.

That leaves regulation of the $23-billion-a-year Indian gambling industry -- $7 billion in California -- up to states and tribes themselves. In the wake of the decision, the NIGC recently called off 15 to 20 planned audits, including some in California, where state regulation of gambling is already notoriously weak."

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Editorial: Watching Indian casinos (The Sacramento Bee 12/28)
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