Congressman Says Feds Trying to Cheat Indian Casinos

Add that to the rapidity with which the issue was addressed, by the famously slow-moving BIA, and Cole began to smell something rotten.

Representative Tom Cole has accused the federal government of trying to alter the rules regarding Indian casinos in a particularly sneaky manner, a ploy which could leave Cole's home state and the tribes that live there short over $1 billion and without thousands of jobs.

Cole,a Chickasaw and the only Congressman in the country listed on a tribal enrollment, said the National Indian Gaming Council, under the auspices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has tried to usher in a change in what constitutes a Class II, or bingo, machine, without allowing discussion or debate through a backdoor method.

A supposed complaint by a tiny Alaskan tribe, the Metlakatla, brought up the issue of one-touch machines, which have previously been bingo-classed but play more like Class III slot machines in speed and style. However, the leader of the Metlakatla says he doesn't know where the complaint came from.

Add that to the rapidity with which the issue was addressed, by the famously slow-moving BIA, and Cole began to smell something rotten. He directly accused the agency of deliberately obfuscating the issue to disguise its power move, one beyond its legal authority.

Cole stated, '"In my opinion this entire process is a serious breach of trust by the government and demonstrates disregard for the rights of Native Americans."

NIGC Chairman Phil Hogen denied any wrongdoing or attempt at concealment, but in the same breath cried for the courts to update the law concerning more and more sophisticated bingo gambling devices.