Native American casinos have historically been at the forefront of deploying new technology
By Frank Legato
The gaming industry has always had its technological pioneers — many , like the predecessors to Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International , have forged new practices that are now standard in the casino business .
But more often than not , first adopters of industry-changing technology are found in Indian Country . Indeed , the very fact of a Class II gaming product that is barely indistinguishable from its Class III cousin is testament to tribal dedication to developing technology — in that case led by the Seminole Tribe of Florida , which worked with vendors and won legal battles to develop what is now standard in Indian casinos .
“ The Seminoles started with Class II , working with ( Reno supplier ) Sierra Design Group ,” recalls Knute Knudson , vice president of Native American development for slot supplier IGT . “ Those products were developed through interpretations of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act ( IGRA ), and the use of effective technology really became prominent . Now , even internationally , people refer to Class II . It is uniquely tribal in its legal interpretation , but now it ’ s used as a product for all segments of the industry .”
He adds that Class II technology led to the development of central determinant systems such as those now used in Washington state and New York .
Knudson has been involved in Indian gaming since its start in the early 1990s , when he was vice president of Sodak Gaming , a major supplier to gaming tribes . He says as Indian gaming matured , mastering new technologies was a necessity in overcoming a number of regulatory challenges and achieving success — which , in turn , has strengthened tribal sovereignty .
Over his long career at IGT — which led to his 2021 induction into the American Gaming Association ’ s Hall of Fame — Knudson has had a ringside seat as new technologies have been pioneered by tribal casinos . He offers ticket-in / ticket-out ( TITO ) as an example . A tribal casino , the Oneidas ’ Turning Stone Casino in Verona , New York , proved as early as the 1990s that a slot floor could be run without coins . The Oneidas ’ deposit / carded-play system for years stood as a model of cashless casino operations .
It was no surprise , says Knudson , that when cash-out tickets were first deployed in a cash-in / ticket-out setup ( to be followed by IGT ’ s EZ
“ This tribal innovation has been driven by tribal government ’ s desire for economic self-sufficiency , and by the lack of preconceived thoughts on what worked in the past in traditional gaming .”
— Knute Knudson , Vice President of Native American Development , IGT
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