Class II regulations could spell an end to bingo

Monday, October 29, 2007  

Tribes in Oklahoma are worried that Class II games could become obsolete under new regulations proposed by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Oklahoma is one of the biggest markets for Class II games. An estimated two-thirds of the machines in play at tribal casinos are electronic machines based on bingo.

But the NIGC says these machines are just a little too similar to Class III games like slot machines. The proposed regulations seek to draw a "bright line" between the two classes.

"It's like these regulations are penalizing us for our ingenuity," Seneca-Cayuga gaming commissioner Jerry Dilliner told The Tulsa World. The new rules would force tribes to slow down their machines and change the visual aspects of the machines.

Class III gaming is legal in Oklahoma. But tribes that offer Class III games must share a percentage of their revenues with the state and must agree to state regulation.

Tribes in Florida, Nebraska and Texas depend on Class II gaming because Class III gaming is outlawed. The newly recognized Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts might have to turn to Class II gaming if Class III gaming isn't legalized.

Get the Story:
Bingo gaming faces phase-out (The Tulsa World 10/27)
Proposed bingo rules imperil tribe's plans (The Cape Cod Times 10/29)

Federal Register Notices:
Classification Standards for Bingo, Lotto, Other Games Similar to Bingo, Pull Tabs and Instant Bingo as Class II Gaming When Played Through an Electronic Medium Using "Electronic, Computer, or Other Technologic Aids'" (October 24, 2007)
Technical Standards for Electronic, Computer, or Other Technologic Aids Used in the Play of Class II Games (October 24, 2007)
Definition for Electronic or Electromechanical Facsimile (October 24, 2007)
Minimum Internal Control Standards for Class II Gaming (October 24, 2007)