The Western Governors' Association opened its executive summit on Indian gaming in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday.

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens (R), the chair of the WGA, and South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) welcomed 23 tribes and 5 tribal organizations to the two-day meeting. Representatives of 10 states, casino developers and critics of Indian gaming are also attending.

The first day included a presentation by I. Nelson Rose, a Whittier Law School professor and expert on gambling law. He discussed the history of gambling in the U.S. and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. He said the country is in its "third wave" of gambling and that prior waves collapsed after "scandals" surfaced.

The presentation was followed by a panel on the growth of Indian gaming. Three tribal representatives and a tribal casino developer said casinos have enabled tribes to become self-sufficient. Panelists said IGRA is working but Keller George of the United South and Eastern Tribes and Kurt Luger of the Great Plains Indian Gaming Association, who is on a panel today, criticized off-reservation gaming efforts.

The summit concludes today with a panel on the land-into-trust process for off-reservation casinos and a panel on technology. More information can be found at http://www.westgov.org/wga/meetings/gaming.htm.

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