BULLETIN

No. 2022-6 October 31, 2022

Subject: NIGC Fee Rate and Fingerprint Processing Fee

This bulletin explains the National Indian Gaming Commission’s (NIGC) annual fee rates. The annual fee

rates are effective November 1, 2022 and will remain in effect until the Commission adopts new rates.

NIGC has adopted its annual fee rates of 0.00% for tier 1 and 0.08% (.0008) for tier 2, which remain the 

same as current fee rates. These rates shall apply to all assessable gross revenues from each gaming 

operation under the jurisdiction of the Commission. If a tribe has a certificate of self-regulation under 25 

CFR part 518, the fee rate on Class II revenues shall be 0.04% (.0004), which is one-half of the annual fee 

rate.

Though the industry’s Gross Gaming Revenues showed a significant increase in FY21 (basis for FY23’s 

fee calculation), it is necessary for the Commission to maintain the fee rate to ensure the Agency has 

sufficient funding to fully meet its statutory and regulatory responsibilities as the gaming industry 

continues to emerge from the pandemic. Unlike other federal agencies, the NIGC does not receive 

Congressionally appropriated funding. Instead, the Agency receives quarterly payments from Tribes 

equal to one quarter of their gaming operation’s reported annual fee assessment. To guarantee the 

Agency’s continuity of operations, the Commission must maintain an adequate transition carryover 

balance to cover any cash flow variations resulting from the timing difference of fee receipt and 

operational payments. As the transition balance has gradually depleted over the past few years, it is 

necessary for the Commission to maintain the fee rate this year at 0.08% to ensure the continuous 

funding.

Fee Payments

Tribes can make quarterly payments of annual fees and submit associated worksheets through the NIGC 

electronic payment system on Pay.gov. Tribes interested in using Pay.gov electronic payment system 

should visit www.pay.gov and select the NIGC using the Find an Agency tab. Additionally, Tribes can 

visit the Commission’s website at www.nigc.gov for details on how to sign into the system, information 

required for submission, and how to change and correct submissions. Using Pay.gov is optional and 

NIGC accepts paper worksheets and fee payments by check. Please provide the following identifying 

information: name, address, and telephone number of the gaming operation; name of licensing Tribe; and 

the name, telephone number, and email address of contact person, and remit quarterly fee payments to:

National Indian Gaming Commission 

Attn.: Division of Finance
1849 C Street NW Mail Stop #1621 

Washington, DC 20240

Pursuant to 25 C.F.R. 514.4, please be sure to use the appropriate fiscal year as the base period for 

determining fee payments. Please note the new regulations define the fiscal year used in calculating the 

annual fee so that one fee rate is applied consistently to a gaming operation’s assessable gross revenues 

for one fiscal year.

NIGC Fingerprint Fee Rate

Pursuant to 25 C.F.R. § 514.16, the National Indian Gaming Commission has set its Fiscal Year 2023

(FY23) fingerprint processing fee at $45 per card, which represents an increase of $10 per card. The 

significant decrease in fingerprint cards submitted for processing during the pandemic necessitated the 

increase, as the majority of the Agency’s processing overhead costs are fixed. In addition, FY23 costs 

reflects the Commission’s continued commitment to take necessary measures to comply with the Federal 

Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice Information Services (FBI CJIS) requirements. These measures 

are not only required, but critical to ensure the NIGC and participating tribes can continue to use the FBI

criminal history report information (CHRI) to determine a key employee or primary management 

official’s eligibility for a gaming license.

The annual fingerprint processing fee is effective November 1, 2022 and will remain in effect until the 

Commission adopts a new rate.

NIGC will publish the fee rate and fingerprint fees in the Federal Register and post them to the NIGC 

website as soon as they are available.

Should you have any questions, please contact Yvonne Lee, National Indian Gaming Commission, 1849 

C Street NW, Mail Stop #1621, Washington, DC 20240; telephone (202) 632-7003; fax (202) 632-7066; 

email fee_questions@nigc.gov.