Last week, two hearings on online gambling were conducted in the United States. One was a hearing on protecting tribal interests in internet gambling regulations. It was held by the Senate Committee in Washington D.C. The second hearing was on the bill introduced by Joe Barton regarding online gambling legalization. The hearing was held in front of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. In the Senate Committee's hearing, the American Indian tribes highlighted that they should be given an important role in formulating the regulatory policies of online gambling.

Different View Points Presented by 2 Indian Tribal Leaders

Different stances were presented by two Indian tribes in the Senate Committee hearing. Chairperson of the Mohegan Tribe, Bruce Bozsum supported the regulation of online gambling in the US. However, it was stated by Bozsum that protection of tribal rights should be given adequate importance in the online gambling regulation proposal. Tribes have the same potential like other operators to compete in the field of online gambling. They should be provided with a fair environment for it. Bozsum didn't favor a state-wise regulation of online gambling. He stated that operators of tribal casinos should be able to accept wagers from players across state boundaries. Non-regulated gambling platforms should not be allowed to operate.

Glen Gobin Claimed Online Gambling to be Threatening for Land Based Casinos

Tulalip Tribes's vice chairman, Glen Gobin opposed the proposal of legalizing online gambling. According to him, if online gambling is legalized in the United States, the growth of land-based Indian casinos will be threatened. It was pointed out that Indian casinos have the potential to generate revenues of about $260 billion within a span of 10 years.

The figure is much larger than the revenue generating potential of online casinos which has been estimated to be about $41 billion over 10 years. Bozsum said that tribal online casinos are not likely to be able to compete with big branded internet casinos offering products like online roulette.

Ernie Stevens Agrees with Bozsum's Arguments

Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, Ernie Stevens agreed with Bozsum's arguments. Stevens stated that it is a justified action on the part of tribal governments to express their concern regarding online gambling regulation. Stevens stated that regulators should realize that tribes are capable of regulating and operating gaming. Taxes should not be levied on the revenues earned by tribal operators by the state or the federal government. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which states that tribal rights have to be honored, should not be amended by the Congress.

People who spoke at the hearing on Indian affairs included Alfonse D’Amato, the chairman of Poker Players Alliance and Coleman Indian Law's attorney, Penny Coleman. Senator Daniel Akaka, in his concluding remarks stated that more hearings should be held to discuss the issue of protecting tribal interests in online gambling. He stated that the issue is complicated, and the discussions held till now are not enough to draw proper conclusions.