Two US Congressmen have proposed a bill that essentially introduces online tribal gaming in the USA. Any wager placed on a site with a server located on tribal lands would be considered to be betting on tribal lands – something already legal across many US states.
House Bill 4308 has been proposed by Luis Correa of California and John Katno of New York. It would “remove federal barriers regarding the offering of mobile wagers on Indian lands when the applicable State and Indian Tribe have reached an agreement”.
Correa said, “Tribal government gaming is the primary source of revenue for hundreds of tribal nations throughout this country who otherwise would not have the basic resources to provide for the health, safety and general welfare of their citizens and others who live on tribal lands.”
Enacting this law would help to smooth out several legal cases that are currently ongoing. In particular, the Seminole Tribe have agreed a new compact with the state of Florida to allow sports betting, but this has met several legal challenges. Introducing these allowances at a federal level would help to alleviate these issues.
This is one of the biggest federal moves in favour of online gambling since 2018’s overturn of PASPA. Affiliates with interests in the American markets should follow the progress of this online tribal gaming bill closely to see if it gains any traction.
