There will be no collaboration between California tribes and sweepstakes operators, Victor Rocha, Conference Chair of the Indian Gaming Association, said during the latest edition of the IGA New Normal webinar series on Thursday.
“This is not a dialogue, this is not a discussion – we don’t negotiate with terrorists,” he said.
The episode featured guest Jonodev Chaudhuri, former chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission, discussing regulations such as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which mandates that tribes must be the primary beneficiaries and sole operators of gaming activities on their lands.
“In many ways, the NIGC has to be somewhat reactive,” Chaudhuri said. “If there is gaming occurring on tribal lands that isn’t run by the tribe, that is a violation of IGRA.”
Chaudhuri outlined potential penalties for illegal operators, including fines and cease-and-desist orders, saying, “I did letters like that when I was [at the NIGC].” He added that tribes could theoretically take similar actions against sweepstakes operators.
Sweepstakes casino Legendz announced its launch in 43 states, including California, this week.
“This is getting worse by the week,” said IGA Executive Director Jason Giles, who co-hosts the series.
