Indian Tribes More Willing to Back Internet Gambling Though Some are Screwed
Indian Tribes see the writing on the wall. When it comes to Internet gambling, if they can’t beat ‘em, they might as well join them.
Case in point, Washington State’s Tulalip Tribes condemned the idea of legalizing Web gambling just eight months ago. On July 26, the Tulalip Secretary, Glen Gobin, told a Senate panel that tribes "must have equal footing to participate".
"Glen is a realist," said W. Ron Allen, the chairman of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, which represents 27 federally recognized tribes.
Maybe so, but the reality is that Indian Tribes in Washington State will be left out in the cold should federal legislation be passed to legalize Internet gambling. The reason, Washington is the only state that strictly prohibits its citizens from betting online, making such activity a Class C felony. Even the vast majority of i-gambling companies operating offshore that still target US customers prevent Washingtonians from placing bets with their websites.
For now, Washington and Utah, which already elected to opt out of any federal legislation, remain the exception.
Two competing plans to regulate online poker at the federal level are presently at odds with one another.
From Rob Hotakainen of McClatchy Newspapers:
The first, favored by the Poker Players Alliance, would allow the U.S. Department of Commerce to certify states to regulate online poker.
The second, favored by Gobin and many other tribal officials, would leave oversight to the National Indian Gaming Commission, the federal agency that regulates the gambling operations of 237 tribes. It's headed by Tracie Stevens, a member of the Tulalip Tribes whom President Barack Obama appointed in 2010.
The battle pits two big spenders against each other. Since 2007, the Poker Players Alliance has spent more than $7.6 million on lobbying, and it ranks fourth overall this year among gambling interests, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics. The tribes spent more than $20 million on lobbying last year and have contributed nearly $58 million to federal candidates since 1990.
Should federal legislation not be passed quickly, individual states will begin taking matters into their own hands. That’s already happening.
Nevada and Delaware recently passed laws allowing online gambling within their borders.
Other states, like California, continue to run into opposition from Tribes over how Internet poker should be regulated, and ultimately, who will get the biggest piece of the pie. This power play has prevented legislation from being passed for the time being in the Golden State.
On the other side of the equation, states like Massachusetts and Connecticut are in talks with Tribal casino operators to form strategic coalitions. Both states have touted the idea of legalizing Web gambling.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
