NIGC still debating response to 2006 gaming regulation court case

Friday, February 4, 2011  

It's been more than four years since the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the National Indian Gaming Commission lacks the authority to regulate Class III games.

The Bush administration's response was to ask Congress to "fix" the decision in Colorado River Indian Tribes v. NIGC. But the bill never passed amid opposition from tribes.

The Obama administration so far hasn't taken a position for or against a fix. NIGC Chairwoman Tracie Stevens said she wants to hear from tribes before taking action.

"We have to figure out [what] works for everybody,” Stevens said at a recent tribal consultation, according to a transcript reviewed by GamblingCompliance. "I'm not sure a blanket regulation is going to work."

Some tribes are asking the NIGC to continue to develop regulations for Class III games, otherwise known as the minimum internal control standards (MICS). They have signed compacts with states that reference or incorporate the MICS.

Other tribes say the NIGC should follow the court decision and let them address Class III regulation through the tribal-state compacting process.

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NIGC Feels Pressure To Abandon Class III Regulations (GamblingCompliance 2/4)
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