WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)-- Some Native American tribal leaders are calling on the federal government to regulate online gambling as it did with brick-and-mortar gambling to ensure they are not kept from launching their own games. Tribal leaders also say federal regulation can better protect their sovereignty and ensure their revenues are not taxed.
Tribal leaders and gaming officials testified on the issue at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing Thursday. A new set of regulations is unlikely this year with so little getting through Congress. But momentum is building in some states for online gambling enterprises to be launched soon.
The Justice Department in December ruled that not all online gambling is banned under federal law, and a few states have been working to allow gambling and approve licenses.
