ads@blueearthmarketing.com   712.224.5420

Legislation
NIGA opposes amendment to restrict land-into-trust for gaming


The National Indian Gaming Association is opposing a proposal that would effectively stop tribes from gaming on newly acquired trust lands.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California), the chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, has developed an amendment that affects Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. It eliminates all off the exceptions for gaming on newly acquired lands and eliminates the two-part determination process for off-reservation casinos.

In place of the exceptions, the proposal sets a new test for gaming on newly acquired lands. A tribe must demonstrate a "substantial direct modern connection" and a "substantial direct aboriginal connection" to a proposed gaming site, terms that are currently not defined anywhere in IGRA.

“We must oppose this,” said NIGA executive director Mark Van Norman, GamblingCompliance reported.

Tribes are worried Feinstein could insert the amendment into the Interior appropriations bill.

Get the Story:
GLOBAL GAMING EXPO: California tribes expect better days ahead for casino (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 11/19)
Feinstein Amendment Ignites Tribal Firestorm (GamblingCompliance 11/19)

Related Stories:
Lobbyists worried about a rival land-into-trust fix on Capitol Hill (11/16)