WASHINGTON — Indian tribal officials voiced strong objections Thursday to giving the National Indian Gaming Commission the authority to set internal control standards at Indian casinos. The tribal officials argued to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee that their casinos are regulated enough by their own tribal gaming commissions and the states in which they're operated.
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"We are the primary regulators and we've done an absolutely fabulous job,” said W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Washington Indian Gaming Commission and of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, has written draft legislation that would give the National Indian Gaming Commission the authority to establish minimum internal controls for casinos. Dorgan said the draft was for discussion and that he would seek input from the tribes and others before introducing a bill.
The internal control standards include some of the most basic casino operations such as the movement of money from machines and tables, the storage and use of playing cards and placement of surveillance cameras, according to Philip Hogen, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. The national commission exercised authority over the internal controls until the Colorado River Indian Tribes successfully sued over the issue. A federal district court and an appeals court ruled that the commission didn't have the authority to set minimum internal control standards. Hogen said the integrity of the $25 billion Indian casino industry would be enhanced by uniform federal control standards. Tracy Burris, gaming commissioner of the Chickasaw Nation, was scheduled to testify at the hearing but was unable to attend because of flight problems.
Burris' prepared testimony for the committee expresses strong reservations about Dorgan's bill, which would amend the federal gaming laws that tribes have been operating under for years.
