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United Keetoowah Band requests trust status for gaming site (11/21)

The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma has submitted a land-into-trust application for its gaming site in Tahlequah. The tribe operates the Keetoowah Cherokee Casino on about two acres. The site is within...

Senate Indian Affairs Committee to consider Internet gaming (11/15)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing this Thursday to discuss Internet gaming and tribal rights. The hearing takes place at 2:15pm in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness...

NIGC is working closely with tribes to develop new regulations (10/14)

The National Indian Gaming Commission is working closely with tribes to develop new regulations but a final product is more than a year away, Chairwoman Tracie Stevens said. In August, NIGC established the Tribal Advisory...

GGB: NIGC takes on gentler tone during Obama administration (09/30)

"The relationship between every regulated industry and its regulator is usually adversarial. Whether it’s the stock market and the Securities and Exchange Commission, the broadcasting industry and the Federal Communications Commission or the pharmaceutical industry...

7th Circuit issues ruling in Lac du Flambeau gaming debt case (09/06)

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians can't be sued under an agreement that was never approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today in...

Judge orders DOI to provide more Seneca gaming documents (09/01)

The Interior Department must release more documents related to its approval of the Seneca Nation off-reservation casino in Buffalo, New York, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. But opponents of the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino...

NIGC disapproves Tohono O'odham Nation casino ordinance (08/31)

The National Indian Gaming Commission has rejected a casino ordinance for the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona. The tribe submitted an ordinance that refers to a site that is not yet in trust. Therefore it...

City spends $1M on gaming lawsuit against Fond du Lac Band (08/30)

The city council in Duluth, Minnesota, has authorized spending $1.06 million in its lawsuit against the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. The city says it's owed $12 million under a 1994...

Fond du Lac Band back in court for disputed casino agreement (08/29)

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians is due in court on Wednesday over a gaming dispute with the city of Duluth, Minnesota. In 1994, the tribe agreed to share 19 percent...

BIA backs land-into-trust applications for Osage Nation casinos (08/24)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved land-into-trust applications for three Osage Nation gaming sites. The BIA published notice of the applications in the Federal Register on July 19. After a 30-day comment period, the...

Oklahoma tribes discuss potential regulations at NIGC consultation (08/19)

Oklahoma tribes are meeting with the National Indian Gaming Commission. The agency is consulting tribes about potential changes to its regulations. Nothing is being proposed right now but priorities are being identified, said one attorney....

Audio for Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on gaming (07/28)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing this afternoon on the regulation of Indian gaming. One significant topic was the so-called CRIT decision from 2006. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Class...

Witness list for Senate Indian Affairs Committee gaming hearing (07/25)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold an oversight hearing this Thursday on the role of the National Indian Gaming Commission and tribes in the regulation of Indian gaming. The hearing takes place at 2:15pm...

NIGC rules UKB casino not on Indian land in long-running dispute (07/25)

The casino owned by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma is not on "Indian land," the National Indian Gaming Commission said in a decision last Thursday. The tribe opened the Keetoowah Cherokee...

NIGC issues NOV on 1994 Fond du Lac Band gaming agreement (07/13)

Better late than never -- the National Indian Gaming Commission has issued a notice of violation to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians for a gaming agreement that was signed in...

Senate Indian Affairs Committee roundtable, hearing for gaming (07/07)

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has scheduled a roundtable and an oversight hearing to discuss gaming issues. On Tuesday, July 26, the committee will host a roundtable on Internet gaming. It will take place at...

Seneca Nation lawyer married to Interior Department attorney (06/29)

Michael Rossetti, a lobbyist for the Seneca Nation of New York, insists there is no wrongdoing between him and an Interior Department attorney. Rossetti began dating Edith Blackwell of the DOI Office of the...

Seneca Nation rejects complaints about off-reservation casino (06/28)

The Seneca Nation says opponents of its off-reservation casino are stirring up baseless "conspiracy theories." The tribe opened the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opponents say Edith Blackwell of the Interior...

DOI attorney accused of wrongdoing on Seneca Nation casino (06/24)

Opponents of the Seneca Nation off-reservation casino in Buffalo, New York, say an Interior Department attorney influenced a key decision to favor a lobbyist she is dating. According to Citizens for a Better Buffalo, Edith...

Lawsuit on Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino continues (06/16)

A federal judge says he will rule on two issues affecting the Tohono O'odham Nation off-reservation casino in Arizona. The tribe plans to open the West Valley Resort near Glendale. The land was acquired using...

Colorado River Indian Tribes rejoin two Indian gaming groups (06/02)

The Colorado River Indian Tribes have rejoined the Arizona Indian Gaming Association and the National Indian Gaming Association. CRIT hasn't been a part of AIGA for several years. The split dates to Proposition 202, an...

Osage Nation seeking trust status for three gaming facilities (06/02)

The Osage Nation of Oklahoma is apparently still submitting information to have three of its gaming sites placed in trust. In a 2005 opinion, the National Indian Gaming Commission said any land within the...

Elk Valley Rancheria seeks money from ex-casino partner (06/01)

The Elk Valley Rancheria of California is trying to recover more than $1 million from its former gaming partner. The tribe was working with R. Shawn Ellis, whose companies have declared bankruptcy. The tribe says...

Pojoaque Pueblo denies allegations of wrongdoing at casino (05/27)

The leader of Pojoaque Pueblo in New Mexico said accusations of wrongdoing at the tribe's casino are coming from "a disgruntled employee." Gov. George Rivera said the tribe fired The Fine Point Group in March....

NIGC yet to issue ruling on United Keetoowah Band casino (05/23)

A federal judge ordered the National Indian Gaming Commission to rule on the legality of casino being operated by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma. That was five years ago. The NIGC...

Crow Tribe set to debut upgraded gaming facility this Friday (05/10)

The Little Bighorn Casino. Photo © Casey Riffe/Billings Gazette. The Crow Tribe of Montana plans to open the new Little Big Horn Casino on Friday. The facility replaces an older building that the National...

Gambling expert says NIGC is 'Indians regulating Indians' (04/25)

A slot machine expert says the National Indian Gaming Commission has a big reason to ignore illegal gaming in Indian Country. "NIGC’s executives are all members of Indian tribes," Bob Sertell of Casino Horizons Corp...

Meskwaki Tribe sued for withholding per capita payments (04/18)

Five members of the Meskwaki Tribe of Iowa say they are owed $788,000 in per capita payments. The tribe suspended payments to Don Wanatee, Leo Dean Peters, Delores Troxell, Lyle Walker and Edland Walker in...

Law Article: Rights and remedies in tribal casino ventures (04/14)

"Although the steep downturn in the U.S. gaming industry that began in 2008 appears to be easing for the time being, many mid-market gaming companies are still encountering difficulties servicing their debt as consumer spending...

Seneca Nation won't appeal ruling in off-reservation casino case (04/05)

The Seneca Nation of New York won't appeal a decision that bars the tribe from intervening in a lawsuit challenging its its off-reservation casino. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a judge's ruling that...

Judge won't issue injunction in Tonkawa Tribe gaming lawsuit (03/31)

A federal judge won't issue a temporary restraining order that a gaming company sought against the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma. Gaughan Gaming started managing the Tonkawa Casino and the Native Lights Casino in 2007. Last...

2nd Circuit blocks Seneca Nation from off-reservation lawsuit (03/29)

The Seneca Nation can't intervene in a lawsuit challenging its its off-reservation casino in Buffalo, New York, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday. In March 2010, Judge William Skretny ruled that the...

United Keetoowah Band running casino amid land status issue (03/28)

In September 2000, the National Indian Gaming Commission concluded that a casino being operated by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians was not on Indian land. More than 10 years later, the Keetoowah Cherokee...

Judge holds hearing for Bay Mills off-reservation casino case (03/23)

A federal judge promised a quick ruling in a lawsuit that seeks to force the the Bay Mills Indian Community to shut down its off-reservation casino in Michigan. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa...

Casino company sues Tonkawa Tribe on management contract (03/23)

A gaming company is suing the Tonkawa Tribe of Oklahoma for being ousted from managing the tribe's two casinos. Gaughan Gaming started managing the Tonkawa Casino and the Native Lights Casino in 2007. Last September,...

NIGC confirms legality of Poarch Creek Class II bingo machines (03/22)

Electronic bingo machines operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians are legal, the National Indian Gaming Commission said in a letter to Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. Paper bingo is legal in the state....

Fort Sill Apache Tribe still waiting on gaming at New Mexico site (02/28)

The Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma is still waiting to find out whether it can offer gaming at a site in New Mexico. The tribe offered paper bingo at the Apache Homelands Entertainment Center...

Gaming firm fights lawsuit on Big Sandy Rancheria agreement (02/18)

A Nevada gaming firm is disputing allegations in a lawsuit filed by the Big Sandy Rancheria of Western Mono Indians in California. The lawsuit claims Brownstone LLC has refused to comply with licensing requirements of...

Alabama governor supports crackdown on Poarch Creek bingo (02/16)

Alabama saw a change in leadership at the beginning of the year but top officials are still trying to stop the Poarch Band of Creek Indians from offering electronic bingo machines. Attorney General Luther Strange...

State judge orders trial for failed Shingle Springs Band casino (02/15)

A judge in California has ordered a trial in a lawsuit against the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. Sharp Image Gaming is suing the tribe over a failed gaming deal. Sharp says the tribe...

Alabama attorney general targets Poarch Creek bingo games (02/15)

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange is asking the National Indian Gaming Commission to take action against the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Strange says the tribe is operating electronic bingo machines in violation of state...

Native Sun News: NIGC aims to make regulations tribal friendly (02/11)

The following story was written and reported by Ernestine Chasing Hawk. All content © Native Sun News. National Indian Gaming Commission visits Rapid City. Commissioner Dan Little, Chairwoman Tracie Stevens, Vice-Chairwoman Steffani Cochran, and Counselor...

NIGC still debating response to 2006 gaming regulation court case (02/04)

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...

Osage Nation submits land-into-trust applications for three casinos (02/01)

The Osage Nation of Oklahoma has submitted land-into-trust applications for three gaming facilities. The tribe opened the facilities after the National Indian Gaming Commission said any land within the Osage Reservation qualified for gaming....

City hopes to enter arbitration over Fond du Lac gaming payment (01/27)

The city of Duluth, Minnesota, says a federal judge has cleared the way for arbitration with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. The city sued the tribe for failing to...

Anti-casino group urges California governor to fight Graton casino (01/26)

A group that's been fighting the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria wants new California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to join the battle against the tribe's casino. The Stop the Casino 101 Coalition says Brown shouldn't...

Bay Mills Indian Community opens bigger off-reservation casino (01/19)

The Bay Mills Indian Community of Michigan will debut a bigger off-reservation casino on Saturday. The facility in Vanderbilt opened last November. It will close for a couple of days to prepare for the 1,400...

Ho-Chunk Nation agrees to arbitration for electronic poker game (01/10)

The Ho-Chunk Nation and the state of Wisconsin are in binding arbitration to determine the legality of an electronic poker game. The tribe installed eight poker machines at Dejope Gaming, a Class II facility, last...

Tracie Stevens: NIGC working to improve consultation with tribes (01/07)

"In June 2010, for the first time in two-and-a-half years, the National Indian Gaming Commission is functioning with a fully appointed commission. As the new commission, Vice Chairwoman Steffani Cochran, Associate Commissioner Dan Little and...

Little Traverse lawsuit cites 'devastating impact' from rival casino (01/06)

An off-reservation casino operated by a rival tribe will have a "devastating impact" on the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Chairman Ken Harrington said. Harrington's tribe has sued the Bay Mills Indian Community...

Local businesses see benefit from Bay Mills off-reservation casino (01/05)

The Bay Mills Indian Community has angered other tribes and the state of Michigan with its off-reservation casino but some local businesses are welcoming the development. Chris Young has seen an increase in business at...