OBITUARY: Gaming icon Ernie Stevens Jr. oversaw record-breaking progress in tribal gaming

ICT STAFF

Ernest L. “Ernie” Stevens Jr. — who led the highly effective Indian Gaming Association for greater than 20 years whereas working to assist others by means of neighborhood activism — died abruptly on Friday, Sept. 26. He was 66.

His household issued an announcement late Friday acknowledging his demise.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our Dad and Papa, Ernie Stevens Jr.,” they stated in an announcement. “We ask for privacy at this time as our family navigates this profound loss. More information and announcements will be shared in the coming days. Thank you for your prayers and support.”

Jason Giles, government director of the Indian Gaming Association, additionally launched an announcement late Friday to ICT.

“Our IGA Board and staff are stunned and saddened by Chairman Stevens passing,” the assertion stated. “Out of respect for his wife Cheryl, his lovely family and the Oneida Nation, we will issue a full tribute at the appropriate time. Please send your prayers to the Stevens family.”

Giles later acknowledged in a press launch that Stevens was “more than a chairman … he was a warrior, a statesman, and a champion for all of Indian Country.” 

Stevens did his finest to guard the integrity of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Giles stated. A historic win for tribal nations in 1988 and a federal regulation that established the gaming framework in Indian Country. 

“His vision and commitment built bridges across tribal nations, Congress, and federal agencies, ensuring that tribal gaming remained a cornerstone of tribal self-determination and economic growth,” Giles acknowledged within the news release. “His legacy will be unmatched, and his voice will echo for generations to come.”

In some ways, Stevens was bigger than life, but he was humble in his robust and efficient advocacy for tribal nations and their members, stated Willie Hardacker, longtime authorized counsel for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, who met Stevens by means of work over 25 years in the past and got here to rely him as a pal.

“He always treated me with the utmost respect, and I feel confident that’s how he treated everybody,” Hardacker stated. “He was a tireless advocate, just constantly working. His loss to Indian Country is enormous, and he will be greatly missed.”

Stevens’ demise got here simply weeks after he was acknowledged in Milwaukee for main the affiliation throughout a time when tribal gaming operations nationwide reached report revenues of greater than $43 billion in 2024. A progress from $11 billion in 2000 which made “Tribal Government Gaming the most important section of the U.S. gaming business, in response to the affiliation’s press launch. 

“Ernie Stevens Jr. has dedicated his life to Indian Country with unwavering commitment and passion,” Mark Powless, chairman of the Oneida Gaming Commission, stated in honoring Stevens on Aug. 12 in Milwaukee.

“From the boxing ring to the boardroom, in his career, he has demonstrated strength, vision, and resilience that uplift tribal communities nationwide,” Powless stated. “His leadership has advanced tribal gaming and empowered tribal governments, and we are proud to honor his achievements and lasting legacy.”

Stevens, a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, was re-elected in April to his thirteenth time period as chairman of the IGA on the ultimate day of the Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention in San Diego, California. The IGA relies in Washington, D.C., and works with the federal authorities and Congress to develop insurance policies and advocate for tribal gaming points.

He told the crowd gathered in San Diego in April that he was proud to proceed serving.

“Together, we will vigorously advance our proactive agenda and stand ready to unite Indian Country to defend tribal sovereignty at all costs,” he stated. “I promised each of you that I would dedicate myself fully — morning, noon, and night — to champion our interests in tribal government gaming.”

He told the gathering in August in Wisconsin that he would redouble efforts to work with the Washington management.

Stevens served as an elected councilman of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin from 1993-1999, and likewise served as first vp of the National Congress of American Indians, in response to the Oneida Gaming Commission’s announcement when he was honored in August.

He was inducted into the American Gaming Association’s Gaming Hall of Fame in 2015, and served on the boards with the Center for American Indian Enterprise Development and the Nike N7 Foundation, the chief board for the Center of Native American Youth and on the Native American advisory board for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Stevens was additionally an athlete, beginning as a boxer in his teenagers. He was inducted into the National Indian Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2008 and into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.

In 1975, at age 16, he joined with famend boxer Louie Askinette in co-founding the Soaring Eagle Boxing Club in Oneida. He was a four-time consecutive state heavyweight champion from 1976-1979, and was a two-time National Heavyweight Champion out of Carson City, Nevada, in 1977 and 1978, in response to the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame website.

He acquired an affiliate’s diploma from Haskell Indian Junior College in 1983 and a bachelor’s in felony justice from Mount Senario College in 1996, the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame reported. He obtained a grasp’s in administration from the University of Phoenix in 2021.

Even with an extended record of accomplishments, “Chairman Stevens always believed his greatest accomplishment and legacy was his family,” the affiliation acknowledged within the information launch. 

He and his spouse, Cheryl, had been married for greater than 45 years. He leaves behind his 5 youngsters: Brandon, Ernest III, Margaret, Maria and Lois; and his 20 grandchildren, in response to the association. 

Stevens was born July 5, 1959, and based mostly in Oneida, Wisconsin. 

The information of Stevens’ sudden demise despatched waves of shock throughout Indian Country. 

“At a time when the Indian Gaming Industry was experiencing exponential growth and challenges, it needed a dynamic and visionary leader,” stated Phil Hogen, former longtime National Indian Gaming Commissioner. “They found one in Ernie Stevens, and Tribes and Indian communities are so much better off on account of Ernie’s leadership. He will be sorely missed.”

---

Related