McCain
Aims to Strengthen Oversight of Tribal Gambling
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McCain, Senate Indian Affairs Committee
chairman, said at a Senate hearing that when
his Arizona constituents visit casinos on Indian
reservations, he wants to make sure they get
a fair gamble.
He said Congress can clarify the commission's
role and will work with the committee's top
Democrat, Sen. Byron Dorgan, N.D., on a bill
to toughen the NIGC's enforcement ability. He
was not sure when the bill would be introduced
and could not give specifics on its contents
yet, because it is still in the early stages.
"If there is not sufficient regulation,
corruption seeps in," McCain said.
A federal court decision handed down in August
said the commission does not have the authority
to issue rules for slot machines, black jack,
craps, roulette or other games at reservation
casinos. The ruling only specifically applied
to the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona,
but Commission Chairman Philip Hogen said it
could be used in arguments to eliminate the
commission's role in regulating gaming.
Hogen said the ruling can make the commission
a "toothless tiger" when it comes
to regulating casinos.
The National Indian Gaming Association and
the National Congress of American Indians created
internal control rules for gaming based on those
in Nevada and New Jersey.
"Let me be crystal-clear," Hogen
said in his prepared testimony, "We are
not asking Congress to expand the role NIGC
has played in the past...We merely ask that
the law be clarified so that we may continue
what has proved to be a very successful coordination
of tribal, state and federal participation in
the oversight of (gaming)."
But Mark Van Norman, executive director of
the National Indian Gaming Association, opposes
the commission's efforts for a legislative "quick
fix." He said the matter is still in litigation,
because appeals can still be filed.
He said the commission should work with tribal
governments to figure out how to implement rules
and not just go to Congress for a change.
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