Indian Gaming

Indian gaming is an industry unto itself.  Of course, it is part of the larger legallized betting industry in the United States, but there are other casinos, racetracks, and gaming halls that are owned by entities having no ties to Native American tribes.

There are many facets to Indian gaming.  A good starting point is the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (abbrevaiated as IGRA) which serves as guidline ro framework of gambling laws and their appliability (or lack thereof) to what takes place on tribal reservations.  At issue is the rights of Indians to behave as they please and run gambling businesses  as they please on their own sovereign lands balanced against the rights of state governments to regulate gambling anywhere within their borders.

The National Indian Gaming Commission is the govermental body that oversees the industry and helps interpret how the rules are applied in specfic situations.  Although one might think that the regulations are very cut and dried, this is not always the case.  In fact, many court cases have been initiated both by states and by tribes that did not like decisions that were made.  Some cases have made it all the way to US Supreme Court.