Senate Indian Affairs Committee Holds Congressional Hearing

Clear views on online poker legalization expressed This has been the week of congressional hearings on the legalisation of internet gambling in the United States, the first of which was held by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in Washington DC. At this hearing, a clear position has been expressed by tribal representatives that they do want to take part in any legalised US online gambling, but that it should not come at the cost of their sovereignty over their own affairs. It has also been stressed that Native American tribes want the federal government to “ensure they are allowed to operate, regulate, tax and license online gambling, if they choose to get in on the business.” The Committee chairman, Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, said that the online poker legalization debate has been intensified thanks to the congressional 'supercommittee' discussions about the ways to reduce the US budget deficit. A statement also arrived from Ernie Stevens, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, who specified that tribes are agreed on some core principles, including one that there should be no taxation of tribal revenues, but that current Internet gambling proposals before Congress violate those principles, which is why his organization opposes their passage. On the other side, speaking in favor of the bill, Sean Brown, who stands on behalf of Representative Joe Barton, the author of an online poker legalization bill, said the legislation would allow tribes, like states, to opt out of allowing Internet gambling if they chose. Some of the obvious concerns were that the US Department of Commerce may be put in charge of regulating operators of internet gambling sites, which representatives said cannot match the current regulatory authority on tribal gaming, the National Indian Gaming Commission, which they want to continue to regulate their businesses if they chose to participate in internet gambling, since it has the experience and capability needed to regulate tribal Internet gambling. Yet, there were also tribes that opposed the entire concept of online gambling legalization, opining that it would pose a threat to their existing land businesses. One of them was Glen Gobin, vice chairman of the Tulalip Tribes of Tulalip, West Virginia, who said: "The Tulalip tribe sees the legalization of Internet gambling as a direct threat to the economic growth in Indian Country. "Do you think tribes are going to be able to compete with someone like Harrah's on Internet gaming?" As for the second hearing on online gambling this week, it will be held by a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, which expects to see some leading political and industry figures such as Reps. Barney Frank and John Campbell speaking in favor of online poker legalization, and Rep. Frank Wolf opposing it.