"The congressional hearing held recently, invited a tribal delegate of NIGA (National Indian Gaming Association) to participate. In the testimony, the delegate made demands for certain rights to be conferred upon the tribes, in case the legalization of online gambling becomes a reality. He told the sub-committee that the manner in which the present proposed legislation of online poker has been worded is not acceptable, as far as the interests of tribes are concerned.
The proposed bill on online poker’s legalization HR2366 states that individual states will have regulatory power. The bill also proposed that the land casinos of the US receive the first set of licenses. Firms offering gambling products in countries like Nevada will be allowed to accept players from others states operating under regulated jurisdictions. Tribes claim that the proposed bill will be in direct conflict with the IGRA or Indian Gaming Regulatory Act passed in the year 1988. The key purpose behind the enactment of the IGRA was to protect the interests of tribes. It proposed that gaming regulations be designed in a way that is capable of generating revenues for tribes. The development of the NIGA was also a result of IGRA." Get the Story: