The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) is suspending its minimum internal control standards (MICS) for Class III gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Updated guidance for Class III MICS will now be maintained at www.nigc.gov.

The NIGC Class III MICS were promulgated in 1999 and last substantively revised in 2005. In 2006, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado River Indian Tribes v. Nat'l Indian Gaming Comm'n, 466 F.3d 134 (CRIT v. NIGC), held that NIGC lacked authority to enforce or promulgate Class III MICS. Since that time, the Class III MICS have remained untouched. Technology has advanced rapidly, though, making some standards obsolete and introducing new areas of risk not contemplated by the outdated standards. And yet, many tribal-state compacts—even those entered into since 2006—continue to adopt NIGC Class III MICS by reference.