Fear of the unknown is completely natural.  That is likely what is happening with Indian gaming and online casinos.  Online casinos are crawling their way toward regulation and legalization and tribal leaders are still tying to figure out how they feel about the up and coming industry.  There is a sense of panic in the air.

It is not a major surprise that many tribal casinos are starting to sweat about online casinos.  In most states where there is well established tribal gaming, the tribes are the only ones offering gambling.  So, most tribes are not used to competing with anyone from within their territory.  Naturally, the fear is that more people are simply going to stay at home and gamble as opposed to driving to the casino.

There was once a sense of “if you can’t beat them, join them” coming out of California, but that seems to have faded.  The Morongo Band out of California was determined to team up with intrastate poker providers to offer online poker.  That effort was met with tremendous opposition from other tribes the believed by teaming up with non-tribal companies the Morongo Band was threatening tribal control over gambling in California. 

Now, Robert Martin, Chairman of the Morongo Band of Creek Indians, finds himself as another voice protesting HR 2267.  HR 2267 is the bill introduced by Representative Barney Frank to regulate online casinos and online gambling in the United States.

Tribal concerns are best summarized in the words of  Sycuan Band of Kumeyaay Nation chairman, Daniel Tucker, “The threat of Congressional legislation that will transfer billions of dollars from Indian Reservations to foreign offshore internet casinos.”