Chairman Simermeyer Opening Comments for Training Event on November 18, 2021

Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer made opening comments during a recent NIGC Training 

Program event held virtually on November 18, 2021. This NIGC National Training Topic of the 

Month discussed an investigation and related license revocation. It featured insights from the 

Kickapoo Gaming Commission’s Chairman Perez and Executive Director McClain. You may 

view the full video recording by submitting a NIGC Recording Request Form located HERE.

Opening Comments by NIGC Chairman Simermeyer:

Good morning from the National Indian Gaming Commission’s headquarters here in Washington 

D.C.

I am Sequoyah Simermeyer, and I’m from the Coharie Tribe in North Carolina. I am honored to 

serve as National Indian Gaming Commission’s Chairman since early 2020 and to have been 

appointed to be a member of the Commission since 2015.

For me, being part of the Indian gaming regulatory community is a humbling honor. It is an 

opportunity to do one’s best to support and protect the powerful Indian gaming tool that is used 

by nearly 250 tribal governments. Tribal communities’ dedication, consistency, and hard work 

have made that tool an effective means to foster sustainable and diplomatic relationships with 

neighboring governments, with industry, and with the public. And today, that tool benefits 

economies on and near Indian land in 29 states. It is a powerful tool and an important investment 

that we can all play a part in protecting.

The unique regulatory framework set out by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act has helped to 

grow Indian gaming during the last 30 years. The framework continues to help tribal 

communities deepen their regulatory capacity. It also has fostered strong regional economies and 

has enhanced tribes’ ability to develop relationships with neighboring governments. And, maybe 

most importantly, it continues to help tribal leaders carry out the vision their tribal citizens have 

for the future.

It is important for the federal regulatory body to remember that tribal governments’ commitment 

to sound regulation predates IGRA’s framework. The U.S. courts and tribes long regulatory 

history affirm tribes’ authority to conduct and regulate gaming on their lands.

For the NIGC to meet its statutory purpose it must collaborate with and support tribes’ distinct 

authority to regulate. An NIGC compliance program that relies on NIGC technical assistance and 

NIGC training as a primary path to compliance is one way for the NIGC to achieve that 

collaboration and support.
The extremely high turnout for today’s training is encouraging for the NIGC’s Training Program. 

It would not have been possible without our honored guests are sharing their first-hand 

experiences on a topic that is relevant to every tribal gaming regulatory authority. Avoiding 

reputational harm to the broader industry, having a trustworthy oversight process, and protecting 

customers are some of the reasons why the Kickapoo government’s efforts are so important.

I want to thank the Kickapoo leadership for the dedication they showed in conducting this 

investigation—it is beneficial to their community as well as the larger industry. And I want to 

thank them for joining us here today to share their knowledge. It is a big request from the NIGC 

for the Kickapoo Gaming Commission to share this level of detail about their work with a large 

group, so I want to underscore the NIGC’s appreciation. And because their experience and 

valuable insights are what everyone has joined today to hear, I want to turn the floor over to the 

NIGC’s Steve Steiner who along with the rest of the NIGC Training Program team is an 

invaluable source of knowledge for the NIGC’s work.

NIGC Chairman

E. Sequoyah Simermeyer