Opinion: Tribes should get into Internet gaming industry

Indian gaming has proven to be one of the most effective means to help tribes attain economic self-sufficiency. By going online, smaller Indian casinos can expand their market share. Meanwhile, tribes without a casino could theoretically launch a virtual casino, thus earning their share of the market without having to build a physical structure.

The time to act is now, while the industry is still in its nascent stages. Unlike the past, the technology exists to ensure a safe and secure online gaming environment for players. Age and ID verification, geolocation, fraud detection, loss limits and more can be handled online in a matter of seconds, ensuring that regulators are satisfied and players can log in and double down easily and without worry. In an industry that promises to reach into the billions of dollars, there is ample room for every sovereign state to go online and offer licensed and regulated gaming.

Tribal gaming authorities will take the first steps into the online gaming industry in 2014. They owe it to their memberships to examine this opportunity for the sake of sovereignty and self-sufficiency. We have the right to enter into the industry and, more important, we cannot afford to be left behind as gaming evolves and expands from the casino floor or bingo hall and onto players' computers, tablets and smartphones.