NIGC to Delay “Bright Line” Regulations - Phil Hogen Resigns as Chairman

The National Indian Gaming Commission announced a couple days ago that they will delay their controversial “bright line between class II and class III” regulations for a year.

The new regulations were scheduled to go into effect next week but, according to an announcement from the commission, the work required on the new regulations had not been completed.

''Therefore, to avoid confusion as well as gaps in regulation, the commission decided to extend the effective date," the NIGC stated, adding that the new date for the regulations to go into effect is Oct. 13, 2010.

Word of the delay came days after Commission Chairman Phil Hogen, the principal force behind the new regulations, announced his retirement.

George Skibine of the Department of the Interior has been selected by Obama as the gaming commission's acting chairman.

In response to the announcement, U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., said, "I am very pleased NIGC has postponed the implementation of these rules. With a leadership change at NIGC currently under way, and the fact that several constituent groups across the nation have asked for more consideration of the impacts these regulations would have, now is not the time to be instituting sweeping changes to Class II gaming."

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If You Can't Beat em Join em?

Officials in Contra Costa County, California, want to talk to two tribes about their proposed casinos. Although the County BOS “officially” opposes Indian gaming the cash-strapped county might enter into agreements with the two tribes in order to get a share of casino revenues.

"We're living in a reality of a service system falling apart," supervisor John Gioia told The Contra Costa Times. "Our goal is not to just mitigate the impacts (of the casino projects), but to get more."

The county meets with the Guidiville Band of Pomo Indians today. The Bureau of Indian Affairsenvironmental impact statement / environmental impact report for the tribe's proposed casino at Point Molate.

"We've been trying for a long time to get the county to see they're better off negotiating with us instead of spending a lot of lawyer time and money trying to intervene in our federal approval process," said Michael Derry, CEO of Guidiville's economic development corporation. "It's a very practical shift, actually, and a very positive shift. We don't want to impact anybody."