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Indian Gaming Association, Washington D.C., DC (2026)

10/12/2026

Honoring Our People and the Future We Are Building Together

An Indigenous Peoples’ Day Message from Chairman David Z. Bean
Indian Gaming Association

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I think about the people who made it possible for us to be here. Our ancestors who protected our homelands. Our elders who kept our languages and teachings alive. Our parents and grandparents who worked to give us opportunities they may never have had themselves.

We carry their strength with us, and we have a responsibility to carry their work forward.
As the first peoples of the Americas, our histories are rooted in these lands. Our cultures, our governments, and our ways of life reach back to time immemorial. Today, our people continue to lead, create, teach, and build. There is so much to be proud of in Indian Country.

I see that pride in our young people learning their languages, in families passing down traditions, and in Tribal leaders making difficult decisions with future generations in mind. Our Nations have distinct histories and cultures, each with its own beauty. We also share a deep commitment to our people and to the right to determine our own futures.

That is what Tribal sovereignty means to me. It is our responsibility and our authority to care for our communities, protect what we hold sacred, and decide the path forward for ourselves.

At the Indian Gaming Association, that responsibility guides our work. We stand alongside Tribal Nations to protect Tribal government gaming because we know what it means back home. It helps support our schools, health care, housing, public safety, and care for our elders. It provides jobs that allow people to support their families and helps our Nations invest in the future.

In fiscal year 2025, Indian gaming generated $46.2 billion in gross gaming revenue, up $2.3 billion, or 5.3 percent, from the previous year.

That represents 545 gaming establishments operated by 246 Tribes across 29 states. These are achievements our Tribal leaders, employees, and communities have worked hard to build.

When I think about that progress, I think about a student receiving help to attend college. An elder getting the care they deserve. A family finding opportunity close to home. A language program helping a child speak the words of their grandparents. Those are the reasons we do this work.

We have more work ahead of us. We must continue to defend our sovereignty and protect the progress our Nations have made. IGA will continue bringing Tribal voices together and standing firm for our right to govern and build our economies on our own terms.

I believe deeply in the strength of Tribal unity. I have seen what we can accomplish when we stand together, support one another, and speak with purpose. Together, we are a powerful force, grounded in cultures and teachings that have sustained our people for generations.

On behalf of the Indian Gaming Association, I extend my gratitude to our Tribal leaders, elders, veterans, families, and young people. Each of you has a part in the strength of our Nations.

Today, let us take pride in who we are and where we come from. Let us honor the first peoples of these lands by respecting Tribal sovereignty and keeping our commitments to one another.

Our ancestors gave us a foundation to stand on. It is our turn to keep building for those who come next.

09/30/2026

The Power of Unity: IGA and Gaming Leaders Stand Firm Against Illegal Online Gambling

G2E Session: “The Power of Unity: Confronting the Prediction Markets Challenge” brings a united stand for Tribal sovereignty and consumer protection as court victories strengthen the fight

LAS VEGAS — September 28, 2026 — The Indian Gaming Association (IGA) delivered an unequivocal message at Global Gaming Expo on Monday: Tribal Nations and their allies are standing united against illegal online sports gambling offered through prediction markets, and they will continue confronting the operators, commercial partners and government policies that enable it. With significant appellate court victories strengthening the legal fight, leaders called for sustained collective action to protect Tribal sovereignty, lawful gaming and the public.

The workshop, “The Power of Unity: Confronting the Prediction Markets Challenge,” brought together IGA Chairman David Z. Bean; Bill Miller, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA); James Siva, Chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA); and Holly Cook Macarro, Tribal advocate, political strategist and Principal at The Angle. IGA Executive Director Jason Giles moderated the discussion.

“I had the honor of sitting on this panel at G2E today, alongside some incredible folks,” Chairman Bean said in post-event comments, describing illegal online sports betting through prediction markets as an existential threat to gaming and to Tribal and state sovereignty.

The panel’s title expressed the strategy taking shape across Indian Country and the broader gaming industry. Tribal Nations, commercial gaming leaders, state officials, and other allies are aligning legal arguments, legislative advocacy, and public education to challenge sports wagering platforms that claim federal commodities oversight lets them bypass gaming laws. IGA’s position is firm: calling a wager an event contract does not excuse illegal gambling or erase the authority of sovereign governments.

“Our responsibility is to protect tribal sovereignty first and foremost,” said Chairman Bean. “We come together to face all challenges that come our way.”

Chairman Bean shared the coalition’s journey from January 2025, when much of the public had not heard about prediction markets, to the momentum it has built today in fighting illegal online sports betting. He described growing cooperation among Tribal leaders, regional gaming associations, and AGA, emphasizing the work Tribal Nations have done in Washington to make their concerns heard on both sides of the aisle.

“We visited both sides of the aisle. We made sure to let them know why we were there,” Chairman Bean said. “We were there to protect tribal sovereignty.”

He urged Tribal Nations to translate that shared purpose into continued participation in the legal fight, including coordinated amicus briefs that bring Tribal perspectives before the courts.

“We have a lot more work to do,” Chairman Bean said. “We’re encouraging tribes to sign on to the Amicus Briefs. So if you haven’t already signed on, please sign on.”

Panelists described a coalition strengthened by a common responsibility to defend lawful gaming and the communities it serves. Longstanding differences among participants have given way to coordinated opposition to unauthorized sports wagering and efforts to displace Tribal and state regulatory authority.

“We’re always, we’ve always been at our strongest when we fight together,” said Cook Macarro, reflecting on Indian Country’s history of collective advocacy and the breadth of the coalition now confronting prediction markets.

For Tribal Nations, the stakes extend to exercising governmental authority and the economic foundations of their communities. Chairman Bean emphasized that Indian gaming is governmental gaming. Siva stressed that Tribal operators have built their enterprises around regulated gaming, community benefit and responsibility to their patrons.

“We always have been about providing a safe, regulated gaming environment for all of our consumers,” Siva said.

Siva said the fight reflects a responsibility to the generations of Tribal leaders who secured and defended gaming rights. In California, he explained, the mission remains protecting the gaming exclusivity Tribes fought to establish and the progress their communities have achieved.

“What we have built up is too important for us to let money swing the momentum, to let money be the deciding factor,” Siva said.

Chairman Bean emphasized that the discussion connected victories in the courts with legislative battles and the coalition’s ongoing work. The panel highlighted important appellate decisions rejecting central arguments advanced by Kalshi and affirming the continued force of Tribal and state gaming protections.

On September 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the denial of preliminary relief on the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act claim brought by Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians. The court concluded that the Tribes were likely to succeed in showing that Kalshi’s sports event contracts on their lands violated IGRA and their gaming ordinances. It treated the challenged contracts as Class III gaming and returned the case to the district court to address the remaining preliminary-injunction factors.

IGA commends Blue Lake Rancheria and Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians for bringing this challenge and continuing the fight after an adverse district court ruling. Their leadership, alongside the work of Tribal attorneys and supporting organizations, has advanced the defense of Tribal authority against unauthorized gaming on Indian lands.

The Tribal ruling followed the Ninth Circuit’s August 28 decision in KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad, which upheld the dissolution of preliminary protection against Nevada’s enforcement of its sports gaming laws. On September 25, the Sixth Circuit delivered another significant setback to Kalshi in cases involving Ohio and Tennessee. That court rejected Kalshi’s claim that federal commodities law displaced the states’ gambling laws, affirmed the denial of an injunction in Ohio and vacated the injunction issued in Tennessee.

These decisions are substantial victories in continuing litigation. They strengthen the coalition’s position while underscoring the need to sustain legal advocacy as the cases proceed.

“And you need to hold the line. We need to hold the line here,” Giles told the audience.

IGA’s opposition extends to efforts to normalize, promote, or facilitate the sports wagering activities it has consistently challenged as illegal. Advertising agreements, distribution arrangements, political influence and proposed partnerships cannot substitute for compliance with applicable gaming laws. Businesses and public officials supporting these activities should expect continued scrutiny and opposition from IGA and its allies.

Panelists criticized the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s approach to sports event contracts and warned against federal actions that would weaken Tribal and state authority. They also raised concerns about prediction market companies’ efforts to recruit Tribal partners, including proposed arrangements involving waivers of sovereign immunity.

Chairman Bean challenged the disconnect between the concerns Tribal leaders have presented to the CFTC and the agency’s approach to facilitating participation in prediction markets.

“It reflects nothing close to what tribes have shared with the CFTC,” Chairman Bean said.

IGA maintains that a commercial partnership cannot resolve the underlying legal objections or justify undermining protections that Tribal Nations have spent generations defending. Tribal governments must be able to exercise their authority without pressure to surrender it in exchange for platform access.

Miller expressed confidence in the coalition’s growing momentum and the effect of mounting legal challenges on the prediction market industry.

“Their house of cards is falling apart,” Miller said.

Chairman Bean said he hoped the audience left with a clear understanding of IGA’s position that presenting sports bets as “swaps” does not make unauthorized gambling lawful. His post-event message also underscored that a prediction market company’s size or financial success cannot justify disregarding sovereign authority, engaging in unfair competition or exposing consumers to harmful products.

Prediction markets “will never be too big or financially successful to ignore State and Tribal sovereignty, engage in unfair competition, or present products that are harmful to underage and adult consumers,” Chairman Bean said.

That message reinforced the panel’s concerns about young people’s access to online wagering and the consequences of allowing gambling products to operate outside the gaming safeguards the coalition is defending. IGA’s position is that protecting Tribal communities, underage and adult consumers, and the integrity of lawful gaming requires enforcement, accountability, and respect for the governments empowered to regulate gambling.

Chairman Bean recognized the late Chairman Ernest L. Stevens, Jr.’s role in building the relationship between IGA and AGA and ensuring Indian Country’s voice was heard within the broader gaming industry. The partnership continues through a shared commitment to address threats facing their respective members.

Chairman Bean grounded the continuing fight in Indian Country’s responsibility “to take care of our children, to take care of our communities, and to honor those who got us here.” He emphasized that honoring earlier generations requires continued action to defend the sovereignty they fought to protect.

“We keep the main thing the main thing,” Chairman Bean said. “We have to continue showing up on the hill.”

IGA calls on Tribal Nations and allied organizations to remain engaged in litigation, support coordinated amicus efforts, and press lawmakers and regulators to uphold Tribal sovereignty and applicable gaming laws. The coalition must also remain prepared to challenge legislative and regulatory efforts that would undercut progress achieved in court. The message from “The Power of Unity: Confronting the Prediction Markets Challenge” was unmistakable: IGA and its allies will stand firm, defend the protections already won, and continue working together to stop illegal online gambling. The court victories reinforce that resolve. The work continues until the communities, consumers and sovereign rights at stake are protected.

09/28/2026

At G2E this week? Join the Indian Gaming Association for the G2E Tribal Gaming Leaders Reception, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 12 Noon - 1:00pm. Network and make new connections with fellow Tribal Gaming executives right on the show floor at G2E!

Next to the IGA Tribal Leaders Lounge - Booth 5646!
For More information https://bit.ly/4rzTPEn

09/25/2026

IGA Chairman David Z. Bean Keynotes Tlingit & Haida Tribal Assembly in Juneau

JUNEAU, Alaska — September 23, 2026 – Indian Gaming Association Chairman David Z. Bean delivered the keynote address on Tuesday at the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s 91st Annual Tribal Assembly. He congratulated the Tribe on opening Two Coppers Casino and urged Tribal Nations to stand together in defending their authority to govern and regulate gaming.
Speaking to delegates, elders, veterans, youth and Tribal citizens, Bean connected the Assembly’s theme, “Unbreakable Unity, Ancestral Strength,” to the work of Tribal government.
“This is tribal sovereignty in action,” Bean said of the Assembly. “Unbreakable unity means tribal nations stand together while respecting each nation’s authority and unique path.”
Bean congratulated President Richard J. Peterson, the Executive Council, delegates, the gaming team, and Tribal citizens on Two Coppers Casino. “It reflects years of planning, partnership, perseverance, and careful leadership,” he said. “It is a clear exercise of tribal sovereignty. It is a clear exercise of economic self-determination.”
Bean emphasized that a Tribal gaming enterprise serves the people whose government owns it. “Gaming serves tribal governments. Indian gaming is governmental gaming. Tribal government gaming has a public purpose,” he said. He pointed to opportunities for jobs, career advancement, Native-owned businesses, and revenue for priorities such as health care, housing, education, and cultural programs. He also stressed that each Tribal Nation must define success according to its own citizens and needs.
In his national update, Bean reported that Indian gaming gross revenue reached $46.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, up $2.3 billion, or 5.3 percent, from fiscal year 2024.
Bean also addressed online sweepstakes and prediction markets, which IGA views as threats to regulated Tribal gaming. He said IGA will continue defending the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Tribal jurisdiction and Tribal regulatory authority while demanding meaningful government-to-government consultation.
“No tribal nation should have to defend its rights alone,” Bean said. “Indian country is strongest when we stand together.”
Reflecting on the late IGA Chairman Ernest L. Stevens, Jr., Bean said, “I simply want to walk in his footsteps, as he walked in the footsteps of our elders and our ancestors.” He closed by offering IGA’s continued partnership as Tlingit & Haida builds on the opening of Two Coppers Casino.
“Now we must govern it well, protect it, grow its benefits, and prepare the next generation to lead,” Bean said. He pledged that IGA stands ready to walk alongside Tlingit & Haida.

09/17/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐅𝐓𝐂’𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲

𝐈𝐆𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐙. 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐅𝐓𝐂 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 17, 2026 – Today the CFTC released a Staff Letter that once again exposes their bias and favoritism towards the very industry they purport to regulate.

The aptly named CFTC Letter “No-Action Position To Providers of Passive Software” is intended to benefit crypto wallet providers and blur the line between traditional Introducing Brokers (IB) and passive software providers. Not surprisingly, the CFTC is trying to make it easier for prediction markets to gather up customers from agents that would not have to be registered as licensed Brokers under the Commodities Exchange Act (CEA).

Chairman David Bean commented: “Commissioner Selig is acting alone to gut the Commodity Exchange Act and disregard the protections Congress enacted for America’s agricultural community. Rather than engage with the Tribal agricultural community on real issues, he is seeking to divide a united Tribal gaming community by offering false outreach in the form of rounding up tribal gaming customers and directing them to existing prediction market platforms. Indian Country rejects the CFTC’s cynical attempt, and we continue to urge the agency and Congress to respect tribal sovereignty, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and hundreds of existing tribal-state compacts – all of which are being violated by the CFTC’s actions. There is nothing in this CFTC Staff Letter that would benefit tribal economies, it would only benefit crypto wallets, Kalshi and other Prediction Market companies’ bottom lines.”

The timing of the CFTC Staff Letter comes on the heels of mounting prediction market losses in Federal Court and increasing pushback by State and Tribal governments, including most recently the State of Texas. Further, Tribal Nations secured a 9th Circuit ruling just yesterday that states prediction markets are likely violating the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and operating illegally on Indian lands. In addition, the crypto industry has been setback by the U.S. Senate’s failure to advance H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a bill in which prediction markets attempted to create a backdoor mechanism for prediction markets to continue to operate if they lose in the Supreme Court.

“Tribal Organizations met with the CFTC this week in an attempt to engage in meaningful discussion about the CFTC’s proposed rule and position on prediction markets. Instead, Chairman Selig sat mostly silent and refused to discuss his proposed rule allowing sports bets on agricultural DCMs. Mr. Selig could have raised this Staff Letter that he claims some Tribal Nations are interested in. We had reason to doubt his words after his Senate testimony when he promised to let the court cases play out on their own. Now we know not to trust him and the CFTC,” Bean said. “The right thing to do now is to postpone the proposed rule, withdraw this unlawful Letter that violates the CEA and CFTC’s own regulations, and engage Tribal Nations with meaningful government to government consultation.”

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09/17/2026

𝙄𝙂𝘼 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙙 𝙕. 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙣: 𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝘾𝙞𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙄𝙨 𝙖 𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙖𝙬

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 16, 2026 - Indian Gaming Association Chairman David Z. Bean today issued the following statement following the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Blue Lake Rancheria, et al. v. Kalshi, Inc., et al., reversing the lower court’s denial of preliminary injunctive relief in the case involving sports-event contracts offered on Tribal lands:

“Today’s decision is an important victory for Tribal sovereignty, for the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and for every Tribal Nation that has fought to protect the integrity of Indian gaming.

For more than a year, Tribal Nations have been sounding the alarm that sports wagering does not become something different simply because a company calls it an ‘event contract’ and offers it through a federally regulated exchange. Today’s decision reinforces a fundamental principle: when sports wagering occurs on Indian lands, federal Indian gaming law matters.

IGRA was enacted by Congress to establish a clear federal framework for gaming on Indian lands, one that recognizes Tribal governments as sovereign governments and protects their authority to regulate gaming within their territories. That framework cannot simply be bypassed through technology, creative terminology, or a federal commodities license.

The Indian Gaming Association applauds Blue Lake Rancheria and the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians for standing up for their sovereign rights and for all of Indian Country. Their leadership in this case has helped establish an important legal line: companies cannot enter Tribal lands through an app and conduct gaming outside the laws and agreements that govern gaming there.

This case is also bigger than one company or one product. Tribal Nations negotiated Tribal-State compacts, built sophisticated regulatory systems, and invested generations of work into creating a highly regulated Indian gaming industry that today supports Tribal governments, essential services, economic development, jobs, and surrounding communities. That system deserves the full protection of federal law.

The Indian Gaming Association has consistently maintained that prediction-market platforms should not be permitted to use the Commodity Exchange Act or CFTC oversight as a pathway around IGRA, Tribal law, Tribal-State gaming compacts, or the authority of Tribal gaming regulators. Today’s decision is an important affirmation of that position.

Congress did not create IGRA only to have its protections disappear when gambling moves onto a phone. Tribal sovereignty does not stop at the edge of a screen.

IGA will continue standing with our Member Tribes, our partner Tribal organizations, state regulators, and others working to ensure that sports wagering and casino-style gambling are conducted within the lawful, regulated gaming framework Congress established. We will also continue engaging Congress and federal regulators to make certain that innovation in financial markets is never used as an excuse to diminish Tribal sovereignty or circumvent federal Indian gaming law.

Today, Indian Country’s voice was heard. We congratulate the Tribal Nations that brought this action and thank Tribal leaders across the country who have remained united in defending Tribal sovereignty.”

The Ninth Circuit’s decision reverses the district court’s November 2025 denial of the Tribes’ request for preliminary injunctive relief. The litigation centers on whether sports-event contracts offered to individuals located on Tribal lands are subject to the requirements of IGRA governing Class III gaming.

The ruling comes amid a broader national legal and policy debate over sports-related prediction markets and the extent to which federally registered exchanges may offer products that function as sports wagering outside established Tribal and state gaming regulatory frameworks.

The Indian Gaming Association will continue evaluating the decision and its implications for Tribal Nations and the Indian gaming industry.

# # #

09/15/2026

𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗔𝗰𝘁

𝗜𝗚𝗔 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗭. 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗻: 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘁𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝘀

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Indian Gaming Association (IGA) today welcomed the U.S. Senate’s failure to advance H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, after the Senate rejected the procedural motion necessary to move the legislation forward.

The cloture motion failed by a vote of 49-50, falling far short of the 60 votes required to advance the bill.

For months, the Indian Gaming Association, Tribal Nations and partner organizations have urged Congress to reject any version of the CLARITY Act that fails to explicitly protect Tribal sovereignty, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), Tribal-state compact rights, and the authority of Tribal and state governments to regulate gaming within their jurisdictions.

“Today, Indian Country’s voice was heard,” said Indian Gaming Association Chairman David Z. Bean. “The Senate did the right thing by refusing to advance legislation that could have expanded CFTC commodities authority without providing the clear protections Tribal Nations have demanded. This is an important victory for Tribal sovereignty, but it is not the end of this fight.”

IGA opposed the legislation because it failed to clearly prohibit prediction-market platforms from offering sports betting and casino-style gambling through federally regulated event contracts or on decentralized finance platforms. It also failed to provide an unequivocal statement that federal commodities law cannot preempt IGRA, Tribal gaming laws, Tribal-state compacts or state gaming laws.

The Senate vote comes one day after Tribal organizations participated in a roundtable discussion with Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig, where Tribal leaders again raised concerns about meaningful government-to-government consultation and the rapid expansion of prediction-market gambling products that operate outside established Tribal and state gaming regulatory systems.

“We have said from the beginning that this issue is bigger than one bill,” Chairman Bean said. “The fundamental question is whether the federal government will respect the sovereign authority of Tribal Nations and the gaming framework Congress established through IGRA. No federal agency and no new financial marketplace should be allowed to create a back door for nationwide gambling that ignores Tribal sovereignty.”

Chairman Bean emphasized that the Association will continue working with Tribal Nations, Congress, state governments and national partners to address the growing threat posed by prediction markets offering sports and casino-style wagering.

“We appreciate every Tribal leader, Tribal organization and partner who stood together and made their voices heard,” Bean said. “When Indian Country speaks together, Congress listens.

Today’s vote demonstrates the power of that unity. Now we must remain united because the effort to protect Tribal sovereignty and stop illegal prediction-market gambling is far from over.”

IGA will continue to call for federal legislation and regulatory action that:

• Protects the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and Tribal-state gaming compacts from federal preemption;
• Preserves the sovereign authority of Tribal Nations and states to regulate gaming;
• Prohibits federally regulated prediction markets from offering sports betting and casino-style gambling through event contracts or on decentralized finance platforms; and
• Requires meaningful government-to-government consultation with Tribal Nations before federal actions are taken that could affect Tribal gaming rights or Tribal economies.

“This vote gives Congress an opportunity to get this right,” Chairman Bean concluded. “Any future legislation dealing with digital assets, prediction markets or federal commodities law must begin with a clear principle: Tribal sovereignty is not negotiable.”

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09/12/2026

Proud to represent the Indian Gaming Association at the Navajo Nation Fair Parade and help promote our Native Vote campaign.

It was great to work alongside the tremendous Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise team and Navajo Fizz.

Partnerships like this reflect our vision of connecting Tribal government gaming with Native enterprise to create greater opportunities for our people and communities.

Thank you, Navajo Nation, for the incredible welcome and great parade! Chairman David Z Bean

09/03/2026

Indian Gaming Association Leaders Deliver National Indian Gaming Update to Tribal Regulators at NTGCR Conference

Prior Lake, Minn. — September 1 , 2026 — Indian Gaming Association Chairman David Z. Bean and Executive Director Jason Giles joined Tribal gaming commissioners and regulators from across Indian Country this week at the National Tribal Gaming Commissioners & Regulators Conference to provide an update on Indian gaming, federal policy developments, and the Association’s ongoing national efforts to protect Tribal government gaming.

The NTGCR Conference is being held September 1-3, 2026, at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The three-day gathering brings together Tribal gaming commissioners, regulatory professionals, legal experts, and industry leaders for general assemblies, panel discussions, roundtables, and 24 workshops focused on audit and licensing, commission responsibilities, compliance, and technology.
During the NTGCR General Assembly, Chairman Bean emphasized that Tribal gaming regulators remain one of Indian Country’s strongest defenses against threats to the integrity of Tribal government gaming.

“Tribal gaming regulators protect Indian gaming at its core,” Bean said. “Our commissions are responsible for maintaining the integrity, security, and public confidence that have helped make Tribal government gaming one of the strongest regulated gaming industries in the country. That regulatory strength did not happen by accident. Tribal Nations invested the time, resources, expertise, and sovereign authority necessary to build it.”

Bean said the success of Indian gaming has been built upon strong Tribal regulatory systems that have developed substantially over the decades since the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

“Today, Tribal gaming commissions employ professionals across every area of gaming regulation, from licensing and compliance to surveillance, technology, audit, and enforcement,” Bean said. “That level of expertise is a reflection of Tribal sovereignty in action. Our regulators do more than oversee gaming operations. They protect Tribal governments, Tribal economies, our employees, our customers, and the integrity of an industry that supports Native communities throughout Indian Country.”

Bean and Giles also provided an update on IGA’s national work opposing prediction market platforms offering sports wagering and other gambling products outside established Tribal and state regulatory systems.

IGA has been at the forefront of the national effort to challenge the expansion of sports wagering through prediction market platforms and to protect the jurisdictional framework established for Tribal, state, and federally regulated gaming.

“What we are seeing with prediction markets should concern every Tribal gaming regulator in this country,” Bean said. “This is not simply a debate over a new financial product. These platforms are offering what we know is gambling while attempting to operate outside the laws and regulatory systems that govern legal gaming. We cannot allow a new name or a different technology platform to become a pathway around Tribal sovereignty, IGRA, Tribal-state compacts, and established gaming laws.”

Bean noted that the concern extends beyond sports wagering, pointing to indications that prediction market platforms are exploring products that could resemble traditional casino gaming.

IGA has responded through a broad national strategy that includes litigation, congressional advocacy, regulatory engagement, and collaboration with Tribal Nations, states, commercial gaming interests, attorneys general, consumer protection advocates, and other organizations concerned about the growth of gambling outside existing regulatory structures.

The Association also pointed to recent court developments, including a Ninth Circuit ruling involving sports event contracts, as important momentum in the broader effort to affirm that gambling activity cannot simply avoid gaming regulation by being characterized as a financial contract.

“We are seeing important progress, but this fight is not over,” Bean said. “IGA will continue working with Congress, federal regulators, Tribal Nations, states, and our partners across the country. We will continue pushing for hearings, legislation, enforcement, and accountability.”

Bean said Tribal gaming regulators will have an increasingly important role as the issue develops.

Working through the IGA-NCAI Task Force and in consultation with Tribal governments, IGA plans to engage Tribal gaming commissions this fall regarding potential regulatory strategies involving prediction market activity, including examining the use of Tribal regulatory notices, cease-and-desist actions, and other available exercises of Tribal regulatory authority.

“As we move into the next phase of this effort, we need our Tribal gaming commissioners and regulators standing with us on the front lines,” Bean said. “Our sovereignty is strongest when we exercise it. Tribal regulators have spent decades building some of the strongest regulatory institutions in gaming, and their voices must be part of this national discussion.”

IGA Executive Director Jason Giles said the Association’s engagement with NTGCR reflects the importance of maintaining strong partnerships between national advocacy organizations and the Tribal regulatory community.

“The strength of Indian gaming begins with strong Tribal governments and strong Tribal regulation,” Giles said. “IGA’s responsibility is to make sure the work taking place in Washington, D.C., in the courts, before federal agencies, and across the states reflects and protects the authority of Tribal Nations. Our gaming commissioners and regulatory professionals are essential partners in that work.”

Giles added that the rapid development of new gaming technologies and platforms makes collaboration among Tribal governments, regulators, policymakers, and industry professionals more important than ever.

“Indian Country has never been afraid of innovation,” Giles said. “But innovation cannot come at the expense of sovereignty, consumer protection, regulatory integrity, or the law. Tribal gaming has succeeded because Tribal Nations built strong regulatory systems. Any entity that wants to participate in gaming should be held to meaningful regulatory standards.”

Chairman Bean also congratulated Jamie Hummingbird on his re-election as Chairman of NTGCR.

“On behalf of the Indian Gaming Association, I congratulate Chairman Jamie Hummingbird on his re-election,” Bean said. “Jamie understands the importance of strong Tribal regulation and the responsibility our regulators carry every day. NTGCR provides an important national forum where regulators can learn from one another, strengthen professional standards, and build the relationships necessary to protect Indian gaming. IGA looks forward to continuing our partnership with Chairman Hummingbird and NTGCR.”

NTGCR was created by Tribal gaming regulators to promote cooperation, education, information sharing, and consistent, high-quality regulatory practices throughout Indian Country. The organization traces its roots to Tribal regulators who began gathering during Indian Gaming Association events in the 1990s to exchange ideas and support one another. Today, NTGCR continues that mission through national conferences, educational programs, regulatory certification initiatives, and professional collaboration.

Bean said that history underscores the shared responsibility of IGA and NTGCR to defend Tribal sovereignty and strengthen Indian gaming for future generations.

“We have different responsibilities, but we are protecting the same thing,” Bean said. “Tribal Nations built Indian gaming. Tribal regulators protect its integrity. Organizations like NTGCR strengthen the people doing that work, and IGA fights every day to protect the sovereign governmental framework that makes Indian gaming possible. When Indian Country works together, we are stronger.”

Photo (left to right): IGA Chairman David Z. Bean; Oscar Schuyler, Chairman, Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Gaming Regulatory Authority; Jamie Hummingbird, Chairman, National Tribal Gaming Commissioners & Regulators; Augustine Zamora, Secretary, Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Gaming Regulatory Authority; and Eddie Black, Executive Director, Alabama-Coushatta Tribal Gaming Regulatory Authority.

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