House panel tries to limit tribal gambling

[Ron Burgundy]

House panel tries to limit tribal gambling (AP)

AP - Indian tribes would be blocked from building Las Vegas-style casinos off their reservations under legislation approved by a House committee Wednesday.

House panel tries to limit tribal gambling

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press WriterWed Jul 26, 7:03 PM ET

Indian tribes would be blocked from building Las Vegas-style casinos off their reservations under legislation approved by a House committee Wednesday.

The bill by Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., takes aim at the trend of "off-reservation gambling" or, as some critics call it, "reservation shopping."

Although the trend is limited, it's become highly controversial: Some tribes have moved hundreds of miles and even sought to cross state lines to find better locations for their casinos.

"Instead of seeking to bring economic development to the Indian reservation, they have instead sought to bring the Indian reservation to wherever there is economic development," Pombo said.

"This is wrong, and it threatens both the future of Native American economic development and the integrity of Indian tribal sovereignty."

Pombo's bill, which passed 27-9, would amend the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 to eliminate an exception that allows tribes to build off-reservation with the approval of the Interior secretary and the state's governor.

Tribes that already had submitted applications by March 7, 2006, the day Pombo introduced the bill, would be allowed to proceed under a grandfather clause.

The bill still would allow tribes that have been newly recognized by the federal government, or that don't have reservation land of their own, to seek permission to build casinos. But those tribes would be required to enter a "memorandum of understanding" with local communities to ensure the tribe pays for infrastructure, public safety and other costs.

Tribes also could invite other tribes to build casinos on their reservation land and share profits.

The National Indian Gaming Association opposes the bill, saying off-reservation gambling is limited and any issues can be fixed through regulations. The group says Pombo's bill wrongly would allow local governments to "tax" sovereign tribes through the memorandum of understanding.

"That's wrong. It is also a very bad precedent to require tribes to negotiate with local governments since locals are state subdivisions, not sovereigns," the Indian gambling group said in a statement opposing the bill.

The bill is supported, however, by a number of tribes that already have casinos and are facing the unwanted prospect of competition from other tribes moving into their area.

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved a bill in March to crack down on off-reservation casinos. The bill by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz., which has a grandfather date of April 15, is being hung up by opposition from a number of senators, in some cases because tribes in their states don't like it.

The prospects for either bill to advance farther are unclear.

Indian gambling has had explosive growth since the legal framework was created in 1988, and the nation's 408 Indian gambling facilities brought in $22.6 billion in revenue last year. The vast majority of tribal casinos were built on existing reservations, but some three dozen are in places that weren't Indian land in 1988, and many more tribes are seeking to move off-reservation.

[IminWonderland]

What is a "LAS VEGAS" style Casino?

Like...no bars? Dance clubs?

Like, they are saying, OK you can have a casino, but you can only play "GUESS WHICH HAND" or something.

[Scrum]

I'm guessing the feds don't pull in the same kind of tax revenue from the tribal casinos?

[motivez]

Uh, I was under the impression that they are their own nation. Our Congress should have no say over what goes on there.

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by motivez

Uh, I was under the impression that they are their own nation. Our Congress should have no say over what goes on there.

No they get say, so that way they can use bones instead of dice when playing craps. And they can make sure the cocktail waitresses are wearing feathered headdresses so that way everyone there won't get the place confused with Las Vegas.

[IminWonderland]

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

I'm guessing the feds don't pull in the same kind of tax revenue from the tribal casinos?

They shouldn't get any tax revenue?