This week, IGA’s conference chair Victor Rocha and executive director Jason Giles were joined by longtime association chairman Ernest Stevens Jr and Mark Trahant, a journalist and former editor of Indian Country Today.
The quartet touched on several aspects of Indian life and how they have been or could be affected over the next four years. Among them, how the landscape for Indian gaming might change under the Trump administration.
Gaming impacts yet to be seen
On the topic of gaming, the first point of discussion was the appointment of North Dakota governor Doug Burgum as the new secretary of the interior. The position, previously filled by Deb Halaand, is a key job as it relates to Indian affairs.
Rocha said Burgum is “not the worst we could do”. He said Burgum was generally protective of tribal rights in his previous post, “but not when you talk about online gaming”. This was a reference to late 2022, when Burgum signed new compacts with state tribes but denied them exclusivity for digital wagering.
Rocha also predicted that the feds are likely to rein in tribal casino approvals under the new administration. “No more land into trust, no more off-reservation gaming,” he said. In the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency, his administration made a flurry of controversial project approvals. Some were for off-reservation casinos, which historically have been almost impossible to obtain.
Trahant made the point that this too could continue if Trump or his associates had something to gain. In Florida last month, GOP lawmakers refused to convene a special session to consider an initiative that would have banned the use of signature gathering companies. There has been speculation that Trump would oppose such a measure as it would inadvertently make it more difficult for him to develop a Florida casino.
Illegal market welcomes federal uncertainty
Giles said gaming tribes need federal help now more than ever to fight the illegal gambling market. He and Rocha have crusaded against the proliferation of sweepstakes sites in California and elsewhere.
The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the primary regulatory agency for Indian gaming, has been without a confirmed chair for over a year. Longtime chairman Sequoyah Simermeyer last February resigned to take a position at FanDuel.
To that end, Trahant said it’s amazing that tribal gaming is not a more important issue for lawmakers if for no other reason than the economic impact and employment numbers. Instead, they race to attract corporate interests like Microsoft, Tesla and others.
Stevens again cited the need for patience and long-term thinking. “We have to hunker down and fight smart,” he said. “We can’t afford to just think it’s going to go away.”
Previous administrations also challenging
Trahant began the discussion with historical comparisons. He brought up the turn of the 20th century when business magnates like John D Rockefeller and William Waldorf Astor had extreme influence over American politics.
He said that “for Indians, it was an especially dark period in time”, pointing to “really substantial” land losses. Later he mentioned the Nixon administration, which pursued similar initiatives to cut the size of the federal government. Those initiatives, he asserted, were met with much more resistance than today.
“You gotta throw something”
For his part, Stevens was adamant that tribal leaders must advocate for education. Tribal colleges and universities are already struggling with limited funding and this is likely to continue. Stevens said that he and his family are products of the system and must fight to maintain it. Trahan lamented how colleges and students are just now getting back to normal after years of Covid disruptions.
Stevens talked about how he, as a liaison to Washington, carries the struggles of previous generations to Congress. His father, Ernest Stevens, Sr., was a decorated Marine veteran and powerful Indian rights advocate. “We have to fight to not let anyone change what works for us,” he said. “Leadership are the ones who have to drive the car here.”
At the recent ICE Barcelona conference, Stevens gave a presentation on the tribal gaming industry. His message to the international audience was that tribes are “open for business” as they look to leverage their gaming success into other ventures. Citing Trump’s history as a businessman, he appealed to Indian Country to lean into that and advance their commercial interests. But they still must be level-headed and respond quickly to any infringements of sovereignty.
“If you start throwing haymakers, that’s how you get knocked out,” he said. “But you gotta throw something.”
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/casino/tribal-gaming-regulation/tribes-navigate-trump-admin/
