TRIBAL Government Gaming 2025
PUBLISHER ’ S LETTER
Indian Integrity
TRIBAL Government Gaming 2025
Roger Gros , Publisher | rgros @ ggbmagazine . com X : @ GlobalGamingBiz
Frank Legato , Editor | flegato @ ggbmagazine . com X : @ FranklySpeakn
Last month , the American Gaming Association revealed the annual gross gaming revenue produced by the commercial industry for 2024 . And for the first time , they included a representative from the Indian Gaming Association to weigh in on the tribal gaming side of revenues .
And guess what ? The revenues are almost equal . The U . S . commercial revenue hit almost $ 50 billion in 2024 and the tribal revenue was on pace for $ 42 billion — official tribal results will be issued by IGA later this year .
Global Gaming Business started publishing this annual supplement , Tribal Government Gaming , soon after the company was formed in 2002 . I had been covering Indian gaming for my previous publication since the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act ( IGRA ) was passed in 1988 .
Many of the early tribal casinos I visited were nothing more than trailers lashed together or glorified tents — the Sprung structures . But to be fair , some of the early commercial riverboats I climbed aboard in those days weren ’ t much better . And now look at them !
It wasn ’ t easy for tribes to be accepted as equal members of the national gaming community . IGRA was only passed because so many tribal bingo parlors had exploded around the country , and Congress believed it needed to act . The reason tribes could introduce bingo was because it was legal in many states for churches and other organizations to offer bingo as a fund raiser . So when tribes began to open the bingo halls on an everyday basis , law enforcement was annoyed .
So IGRA was drawn up to try to limit the tribes to those bingo halls in ways that churches used them . But courts realized that the state laws included no such limitations , and then when the Supreme Court said that tribes could offer whatever kind of gaming was legal in that state — even if it was the “ Las Vegas nights ” that feature table games and sometimes slot devices — the genie was out of the bottle .
But still , the going was hard for tribal gaming . Once Congress realized what had happened with IGRA , they tried to fix the problems , but couldn ’ t make any impact . Senators Harry Reid from
By Roger Gros
Nevada and Robert Torricelli from New Jersey accused organized crime of being involved with tribal gaming . When that proved to be untrue , they said the games were rigged . Established gaming companies like Harrah ’ s , Hilton , Bally ’ s and others warned players to avoid tribal casinos for that reason .
But when James Maida and his independent test lab GLI showed up and tested the games being used in tribal casinos , he found that they were the same games being offered by the commercial casinos . And then when the commercial casinos realized they could partner with the tribes and get a piece of the action , their objections melted away , too .
Some of the early leaders of tribal gaming , people like Rick Hill , Tim Wapato , Richard Milanovich , Frank Ducheneaux , Melanie Benjamin and many others , fought like the warriors they were to ensure that tribal sovereignty was established and maintained .
The National Indian Gaming Commission , established by IGRA , also played a huge role in establishing the integrity of tribal gaming , although you might not have known it at the time . Any federal oversight of a tribal activity was to be resisted , but if it wasn ’ t for the first chairman , Tony Hope , who vigorously defended the sovereignty of every tribe , it could have ended before it began .
So let ’ s celebrate the long history of tribal government gaming and recognize that it ’ s a strong part of the national economy and a crucial economic engine for many tribes across the country .
But do not rest on your laurels . There are still many battles to fight . While some tribes have worked with the existing commercial casinos in their states to carve out a role for tribes in sports betting and online gaming , other states are still resisting . It ’ s up to each individual tribe and its leaders to decide what works best for them .
There are also some stains on tribal gaming that need to be addressed — issues like disenrollment , intertribal and intratribal feuds between separate leadership groups , and questions about how tribal gaming revenues are being used . These are certainly contentious issues and can become a black mark . So stay diligent and maintain the integrity of tribal gaming for at least the next seven generations .
Monica Cooley , Art Director mcooley @ ggbmagazine . com
Terri Brady , Sales & Marketing Director tbrady @ ggbmagazine . com
Lisa Johnson , Communications Advisor lisa @ lisajohnsoncommunications . com X : @ LisaJohnsonPR
Columnists Dike Bacon | Ernie Stevens , Jr .
Contributing Editors Michael Anderson | Jill R . Dorson Chris Irwin | Pamela D . Jones ______________
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Rino Armeni , President , Armeni Enterprises
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Dike Bacon , Principal / Partner , HBG Design
• Lauren Bates , President , Global Gaming Women
• Mark A . Birtha , Senior Vice President & General Manager , Hard Rock International
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Brendan Bussmann , Principal , BGlobal Advisors
• Alex Dixon , CEO , DRA / Q Casino
• Daron Dorsey , Executive Director , Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers
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Sally Gainsbury , Director at Gambling Treatment & Research Clinic & Professor of Psychology , University of Sydney
• Stephen Martino , Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer , MGM Resorts International
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Bill Miller , President and CEO , American Gaming Association
• Walt Power , CEO , Grand Ho Tram
• Rob Russell , Senior Gaming Analyst , Regulatory Management Counselors PC
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James Siva , Chairman , California Nations Indian Gaming Association / Vice Chairman , Morongo Band of Mission Indians
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Michael Soll , President , The Innovation Group
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Kresimir Spajic , Chief Executive Officer , Betfred Sportsbook
• Katherine Spilde , Executive Director , Sycuan Gaming Institute , San Diego State University
Global Gaming Business 702-248-1565 www . ggbmagazine . com
The views and opinions expressed by the writers and columnists of GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS are not necessarily the views of the publisher or editor .
Copyright 2025 Global Gaming Business LLC .
GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS is published monthly by Clarion Gaming International , LLC . Printed in Nevada , USA . Postmaster : Send Change of Address forms to : Email : subscriptions @ ggbmagazine . com
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4 TRIBAL GOVERNMENT GAMING 2025