Indian Gaming Association Meets with Arizona Tribal Leaders to Strengthen Unity and Confront Threats from Prediction Markets

Phoenix, Arizona —The Indian Gaming Association (IGA) met final week with the Tribal leaders of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association (AIGA) to resume a long-standing partnership and reinforce a shared dedication to defending Tribal sovereignty. The gathering continues the outreach efforts established by the late Chairman Ernie Stevens, Jr., whose management formed a lot of immediately’s nationwide Tribal gaming panorama.

IGA Chairman David Z. Bean sat down with Arizona’s Tribal leaders to speak by way of the challenges forward, the progress already made, and the necessity to keep linked as one voice. Chairman Bean harassed that whereas Chairman Stevens’ passing left a deep void, the mission and the work stay unchanged. He reminded the leaders that Indian Country has confronted many threats to sovereignty and gaming rights through the years, and every time, Tribes prevailed by standing collectively.

“While we lost a powerful voice with the passing of Chairman Stevens, our mission has not changed,” Chairman Bean mentioned. “Our strength has always come from unity. When Tribes stand together, our sovereignty is strongest. We are here to let Arizona’s Tribal leaders know that the team that supported Chairman Stevens all these years remains intact, and we will continue his commitment to protecting Tribal rights, Tribal economies, and the future of Tribal government gaming.”

A big subject of the assembly was the speedy development of prediction markets. These corporations are attempting to current sports activities betting and occasion wagering as “futures contracts” to allow them to function nationwide with out following federal playing legal guidelines. These platforms now course of lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} every week, and their operators are trying to bypass the regulatory framework established by Congress underneath the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).

Prediction markets function outdoors the legislation and immediately undermine the construction that Tribes and states depend on to manage gaming pretty and responsibly. By calling sports activities wagers “event contracts,” these corporations try and sidestep IGRA, Tribal–State compacts, and the Commodity Exchange Act. The result’s an unregulated playing system managed by personal tech corporations slightly than governments. For Tribes, this isn’t only a enterprise concern; it’s a direct problem to sovereignty and the protections that IGRA was designed to uphold.

IGA assured the AIGA that it has been very lively on this challenge, together with writing letters to key federal committees, partaking with the American Gaming Association, and elevating critical issues relating to the legality of those markets.

Chairman Bean spoke firmly about the necessity to confront the risk head-on.  He mentioned, “Prediction markets are illegal; they violate IGRA and undermine every hard-won gain Tribes have achieved in government-to-government gaming. We cannot and will not permit private tech companies to bypass Tribal sovereignty by rebranding sports betting as something it is not. Indian Country has faced similar challenges before, and our solution remains the same: unity, strength, and relentless advocacy.”

Chairman Bean additionally acknowledged and praised the robust instance set by Arizona’s Tribal nations, noting the spectacular work AIGA has achieved in its marketing campaign towards prediction markets. He expressed gratitude to AIGA for stepping up early, effectively earlier than this challenge gained nationwide consideration, and for main with readability and objective.

Arizona’s Tribes had been among the many first within the nation to boost the alarm, sending letters to federal businesses as early as February this 12 months and voicing issues that influenced the nationwide response. Chairman Bean harassed that this early involvement not solely protected Arizona’s pursuits but additionally bolstered Tribal nations’ efforts nationwide.

Working collectively has allowed Tribes within the state to construct one of the crucial revered Tribal gaming markets within the nation. Today, Tribal gaming in Arizona contributes greater than $108 million yearly to the state’s economic system and helps roughly 30,000 jobs.

“These successes are the result of years of cooperation, shared priorities, and a steadfast commitment to defending each other’s rights,” mentioned David Bean. “Tribal leaders at the meeting emphasized that the challenges Tribes face today, whether regulatory, legal, or technological, necessitate the same unity that helped previous generations navigate complex negotiations, court battles, and federal policy fights.”

Chairman Bean reaffirmed that IGA would proceed strengthening its partnerships with Tribes throughout the nation, together with ongoing visits, follow-up conferences, and common communication in order that no Tribe faces these points alone.

“Every major challenge Indian Country has overcome, every victory for sovereignty, happened because Tribes came together,” Bean mentioned. “Our unity is what protects IGRA, our compacts, our economies, and our future. Today’s threats require that same unified strength.”

Another reminder from the assembly was that advocacy must not ever decelerate. Leaders mentioned how educating Congress, federal regulators, and the general public has at all times been one of many Indian Gaming Association’s most essential obligations. With fast-moving developments reminiscent of prediction markets and growing on-line fraud, staying lively in Washington stays important.

Chairman Bean emphasised that this work is not only for immediately’s leaders, but additionally for younger individuals who will tackle these obligations sooner or later. The dialogue centered on the significance of cultural teachings, robust function fashions, and getting ready Native youth to imagine management roles ultimately.

As nationwide occasions just like the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) strategy, the assembly emphasised the necessity for coordinated messaging and unified positions. Leaders agreed {that a} clear and constant voice from Indian Country will likely be essential as discussions transfer into the following legislative cycle.

Chairman Bean wrapped up the gathering by reaffirming ongoing outreach: “Our charge is simple: remain vigilant, stay unified, and remain committed to defending Tribal sovereignty. The challenges may change, but our strength stays the same. We will keep visiting Tribal nations, listening to their priorities, and protecting the framework that has supported Tribal government gaming for more than 35 years.”