Opinion ID: 2001496
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Background and Purpose of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act

Text: Congress passed IGRA on October 17, 1988, pursuant to its power to regulate commerce with the Indian Tribes (US Const, art I, § 8 [3]) and in response to the United States Supreme Court's decision in California v Cabazon Band of Mission Indians (480 US 202 [1987]). In Cabazon, which was decided about a year before IGRA was enacted, the Supreme Court held that a state which regulates rather than prohibits gambling must permit Indian tribes to conduct gambling on their lands ( see, Cabazon, 480 US at 209). The Court further held that Indian tribes would be forbidden from conducting gambling if a particular state prohibits such gambling altogether ( id. ). To deal with this regulatory/prohibitory distinction, the Cabazon court stated: The shorthand test is whether the conduct at issue violates the State's public policy. ( Cabazon, 480 US at 209.) The primary purpose of IGRA is to provide a statutory basis for the operation of gaming by Indian tribes as a means of promoting tribal economic development, self-sufficiency, and strong tribal governments (25 USC § 2702 [1]). [15] IGRA divides gaming on Indian lands into three classes. [16] Class I games, defined as social games for minimal prizes and traditional Indian or ceremonial games, are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Indian tribes and shall not be subject to the provisions of IGRA ( see 25 USC § 2703 [6]; § 2710 [a] [1]). Class II games, such as bingo, lotto, pull tabs, tip jars, punch boards and card games, but not banking card games (e.g., chemin de fer, baccarat and blackjack), fall within tribal jurisdiction but are subject to the provisions of IGRA ( see 25 USC § 2703 [7]; § 2710 [a] [2]). Class III gaming, which is defined as all forms of gaming that are not class I or class II gaming (25 USC § 2703 [8]) and includes banking cards, horse racing, slot machines and the commercialized, casino gambling at issue here, is subject to the terms and conditions of tribal-state compacts.