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U.S. Supreme Court Decision Reinforces Equal Application of IGRA Across Indian Country
WASHINGTON, D.C., Friday, June 17, 2022 – The United States Supreme Court issued its decision this week in Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, et al. v. Texas. The decision reinforces the equal application of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act across Indian Country, as well as the jurisdiction of Tribes and the National Indian Gaming Commission over that gaming.
The Court’s decision held that the Ysleta del Sur and Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Restoration Act only bans those gaming activities also banned in Texas and did not provide for state gaming laws to act as surrogate federal law on Indian lands. Because Texas permits bingo, the Pueblo may conduct Class II bingo under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act subject to regulation by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the National Indian Gaming Commission Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer said, “the United States’ position in the litigation was to affirm the application of IGRA and the National Indian Gaming Commission’s jurisdiction as the federal regulatory body for all Indian gaming unless federal law states otherwise. The NIGC recognizes the importance of the decision’s holding for Indian gaming’s long standing regulatory framework.” Chairman Simermeyer continued, “The decision is significant to hundreds of Indian gaming operations licensed by over 240 tribal governments on Indian lands in 29 states in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’s structure.”
The National Indian Gaming Commission wishes to congratulate the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo on the certainty the decision provides for the tribes impacted by the federal restoration law and who are conducting gaming on Indian land in the State of Texas.
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The National Indian Gaming Commission’s mission is to support tribal self-sufficiency and the integrity of Indian gaming through effective regulation. Together with tribes and states, the NIGC regulates more than 520 gaming establishments operated by 240 tribes across 29 states. To learn more, visit www.nigc.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
