Compacts

BIA approves Class III gaming compacts for 27 Washington tribes

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Gaming machines at the Quil Ceda Creek Casino, owned by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington. Photo from Facebook

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved Class III gaming compacts for 27 tribes in Washington.

Nearly every tribe signed onto the new agreement. The deal paves the way for the addition of more gaming devices at their facilities.

"These 27 compact amendments are an important milestone for the people of Washington state and the Indian tribes," Chris Stearns, the chairman of Washington State Gambling Commission, said in a press release in February, when the agreements won approval at the state level. "The commission is proud to have worked on a government to government basis with the tribes, as well as with the governor’s office.”

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act authorizes the BIA to review gaming compacts. The agency approved 78 percent of all agreements between 1998 and 2014, the Government Accountability Office said in a report issued on Wednesday.

Notice of the BIA's approval of the 27 Washington compacts was published in today's issue of the Federal Register.

Federal Register Notice:
Indian Gaming (June 4, 2015)

Relevant Documents:
BIA Approval Letter (May 29, 2015)

Government Accountability Office Report:
Regulation and Oversight by the Federal Government, States, and Tribes (June 3, 2015)