Indian Gaming > Alabama governor pushes NIGC on 'illegal' games

November 4, 2009

Alabama governor pushes NIGC on 'illegal' games

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R) believes his crackdown on electronic bingo will lead the National Indian Gaming Commission to take action against the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

"When we have proven our determination to combat illegal gambling in our state, the federal government will have to address this issue at Indian casinos," Riley wrote in a letter to state lawmakers, The Mobile Press-Register reported.

But Attorney General Troy King sees things differently. Unlike Riley, he believes that some forms of electronic bingo are legal, and he doesn't think going after non-Indian gaming will affect the NIGC at all.

"How do we put pressure on the federal government?" King told the Press-Register. "We've never been able to put pressure on them before."

The tribe exclusively operates Class II games at its facilities. Former NIGC chairman Phil Hogen, who left office last month, believed some of the tribe's machines crossed the line into Class III but the agency never came to a conclusion on the issue.

Get the Story:
Riley blasts claim of impending Indian casino bingo monopoly (The Mobile Press-Register 11/4)
Gov. Bob Riley: 'Baldfaced lie' to suggest bingo crackdown will help Indian casinos (The Mobile Press-Register 11/4)