Definition of Bingo: Slot Machine?

The power struggle between the government’s National Indian Gaming Commission and the actual American Indian community continues. In the past, there have been arguments over issues from the location of casinos, to the numerical limit of gaming facilities, to the exact radius of American Indian owned casinos, relative to schools, parks and churches. The latest issue is based on a simple ruling on the definition of a slot machine. The decision has the potential to devastate the Indian community by wiping out a majority of many tribes’ revenue, simply by settling on the wrong definition.

The current argument is over whether or not bingo machines qualify as slot machines. The issue would seem inconsequential, except for the fact that in some states, slot machines are outlawed altogether, but have allowed casinos to feature bingo machines. If the decision were to go the wrong way in those states, bingo machines would immediately cease operation and the revenue that they bring in would be halted. In other states, the situation is that there is a limit on the number of slot machines that they allow. In that case, casinos that already have the limit of slot machines would then also have to count the bingo machines in their new total, and be forced to remove all surplus machines.

In this latest situation, it seems that the government has realized the severe detriment that the “controversial proposals” could potentially cause the tribes, and has decided to put these decisions on the back burner. Since Indian gaming is often a huge issue, especially around election time, this definitely won’t be the end of the longstanding tug-of-war.

Back to July 2008 Archive.