National Indian Gaming Commission
Seal of the National Indian Gaming Commission
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | October 18, 1988 |
| Jurisdiction | Federal government of the United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Employees | 102(2013) |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | www |
The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) is an independent federal regulatory agency within the Department of the Interior. Congress established the agency pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. The Commission comprises a Chair and two Commissioners, each of whom serves on a full-time basis for a three-year term. The Chair is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Secretary of the Interior appoints the other two Commissioners. Under the Act,at least two of the three Commissioners must be enrolled members of a federally recognized Indian tribe, and no more than two members may be of the same political party. The first Chairman of the NIGC was Tony Hope. President Barack Obama appointed the first woman to chair the Commission, Tracie L. Stevens, a member of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington. The current Chair is Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, who has served since 2015. Chaudhuri is a member of the Muscokee (Creek) Nation.
The Commission also has a General Counsel, who supervises the legal staff and advises the Commission on its work. The first General Counsel was Michael Cox. The second General Counsel was Barry W. Brandon. The third was Kevin K. Washburn, who later served as Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. The fourth General Counsel was Lawrence Roberts, who left the Commission to become a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Interior. The current General Counsel is Michael Hoenig.
The Commission is the only federal agency focused solely on the regulation of gambling, though it has many counterpart state and tribal regulatory agencies. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior also have responsibilities related to gaming and Indian gaming (respectively).
The Commission is an independent regulatory agency, but works closely with the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior on matter of game classification and Indian lands questions. In addition, it is represented in litigation in court by the Department of Justice. Thus, its independence has some practical limits related to cooperation with Executive Branch agencies.
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