INTERNET LAW - Does the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act Cover Internet Gaming?8/20/2008, IBLS Editorial Department
Federal law authorizes US Indian tribes to regulate gaming activities within Indian lands provided that the gaming activity is not expressly prohibited by federal law or the law of the state where the Indian tribe is located. The US Congress enacted the Gaming Regulatory Act (GRA) in 1988 to provide a statutory basis for the operation of gaming by Indian tribes. GRA classifies gaming activities in three groups and it is still uncertain where specifically Internet gaming fits within this classification.  

Indian tribes, charities reach deal on bingo fundraisers 8/20/2008, Sacramento Bee
California's politically powerful Indian casino tribes and the state's major charities have worked out a "win-win" deal that would allow the charities to expand their bingo operations while preserving the tribes' constitutional monopoly on slot machines. But the compromise, which has attracted a swarm of lobbyists in the waning days of the Legislature's session, might be a lose-lose for some small charities, particularly in the Sacramento area, and for manufacturers of electronic games that look and play like slot machines but are advertised as "electronic bingo" machines. The deal would specifically ban charities from operating such machines, which have been a bone of legal contention for two decades and which tribes claim violate their exclusive right to operate slot machines in California. "The tribes are as sympathetic as anyone else to the plight of the charities," said Doug Elmets, spokesman for the California Tribal Business Alliance, a group of six casino tribes. "They just want to be sure that whatever (the charities) do is operating within a regulated environment."

Bingo Bill Backed By Tribes, Catholic Church 8/20/2008, 
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) The Catholic Church and Indian gaming tribes are supporting a new plan to change the way bingo is played in California, a plan that could put some bingo halls out of business. Bill SB 1369 will expand prizes for traditional paper bingo, and open up the option for charities to use "remote caller bingo," where several bingo locations are linked by video, to create bigger prize pools. "It would mean more money would go to charities, and less to the players," said Ken Larsen of the California Association of Nonprofits. Single-site bingo maximum prizes will go from $250 to $500. But the payout to the players, now in the 75 percent range in bingo halls with machines, will decrease to just 37 percent. 

 

Church, tribes reach compromise on bingo
8/19/2008, San Deigo Union Tribune
SACRAMENTO - The Catholic Church and California's Indian gaming tribes have struck a compromise that would permit a major expansion of conventional bingo while outlawing electronic versions played on machines that look and act a lot like slots. Amendments outlining the agreement were inserted into a bill yesterday with lawmakers scrambling to wrap up business before adjourning for the year at the end of the month.

NIGC Announces Extension on Comments8/19/2008, National Indian Gaming Commission
Washington, DC August 19, 2008 - National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) Chairman Philip N. Hogen announced yesterday that the agency is extending the time period for comments on what constitutes "the sole proprietary interest" under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). In a June 13, 2008, letter to tribal leaders, Chairman Hogen had asked for input on the issue by August 18, 2008. That timeframe has now been extended to September 30, 2008.

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