?Tribal Casinos in the U.S.: Indian Casinos Explained
Tribal government gaming in the US is regulated by federal, state and tribal authorities, depending on the type of gaming operation. This regulatory framework is outlined in a federal law known as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). Tribal gaming takes place on Indian lands as per the IGRA requirement.
? List of Indian Casinos
How many Indian casinos are there in the united states? There are over 500 tribally owned, operated, or licensed gaming establishments in the US in 29 states. For a complete list of gaming tribes by states, class type, contact details, and facility name, check out this 20-page document uploaded by the National Indian Gaming Commission. We give you a list of 20 poular casinos below.
- Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, Connecticut
- Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, Connecticut
- San Manuel Casino – Highland, California
- Pechanga Resort Casino – Temecula, California
- Choctaw Casino Resort – Durant, Oklahoma
- Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, New York
- Mystic Lake Casino Hotel – Prior Lake, Minnesota
- Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort – Cherokee, North Carolina
- Tulalip Resort Casino – Tulalip, Washington
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Hollywood, Florida
- Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort – Mount Pleasant, Michigan
- Cache Creek Casino Resort – Brooks, California
- Mohegan Sun Pocono – Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
- Gun Lake Casino – Wayland, Michigan
- Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa – Rancho Mirage, California
- Red Hawk Casino – Placerville, California
- Graton Resort & Casino – Rohnert Park, California
- Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort – Hogansburg, New York
- Casino Arizona – Scottsdale, Arizona
- Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort – Flagstaff, Arizona
List of US States with Tribal Casinos
Indian gaming occurs in the following 29 of 50 states as per the latest data available on the NIGC website for Indian reservation casinos.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Michigan (also part of MI online casinos)
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Indian Casinos in Montana: Charging Horse Casino & Bingo, Edison Real Bird Racing Course, Tribal Express Casino, Git-N-Go, Fort Belknap Casino, and others.
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
NIGC maps all Indian casinos in 8 regions as illustrated in the map. The list of all casino sites is also accessible on their website at https://www.nigc.gov/map/
Indian Casinos Map
Anybody searching for ‘Indian Casinos near me’ should visit the official website of the NIGC and run a map search. The list of all Indian casino sites is can be searched on an interactive map platform at this link. You can check their site if you want to know, for example:
- Michigan Indian casinos map or native American casinos in Michigan
- Oregon Indian casinos map
- Indian casinos in Pennsylvania (PA)
- Indian casinos in Washington state map
- Indian reservation casinos in all states
- What states have tribal casinos?
- Indian casino list
? Tribal Casino Gaming Explained
The IGRA divides tribal gaming into three classes: Class I, Class II, and Class III. Players in the Indian reservation lands have access to all kinds of online casino games for real money, including:
- Slots, including high-stakes Las Vegas-type gambling
- Live Dealer Games
- Blackjack and other table games
- Roulette
- Baccarat
Class I gaming
Class I games include social games and traditional or ceremonial games. An Indian tribe can offer Class I games without any restriction.
Class II Gaming
This includes Bingo and games such as lotto, punch boards, tip jars, instant bingo, other games similar to bingo, and non-house banked card games. Native Indian Tribes do not need to enter into any agreements at the state level for class II games according to the IGRA legislation. Tribal governments are responsible for regulating Class II gaming. National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) exercises oversight over this form of gaming. Four states are limited to Class II gaming:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Nebraska, and
- Texas.
Class III Gambling
Class III is about all other forms of gambling, including real money online casino gambling games such as Baccarat and slot machines. A tribe needs to have a tribal-state gaming compact to offer class III gambling games. This compact must be approved by the federal government before it is enforced.
If there is confusion about the class of the game, then the National Indian Gaming Commission Office of General Counsel reviews the games at the request of the tribe or the game developer. The tribe-state compacts and agreements are also available on the websites of gambling regulation agencies such as the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
Tribes also run online gambling sites including mobile casinos and betting sites in some states. Some of the popular Native American online casinos are:
- Firekeepers online casino
- Play Gun Lake Online Casino
- Play Eagle Online Casino (by Soaring Eagle)
- Four Winds Online Casino
- Wind Creek Online Casino
Looking for best Indian casinos in USA? You can try some of the online casinos we have listed above as they are comparable to the best internet casinos offering top games, including slots and table games like online Blackjack and Baccarat.
?Tribal Gaming Revenue By State
As per the NIGC Gross Gaming Revenue Report, seven of the 8 regions showed an increase in revenue over FY 2021. Only Sacramento region showed a small decline of 1.4%.
Revenues were up in these regions (and comprising states):
- Portland: 4.4 billions with 56 tribal gaming operations (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)
- Phoenix: $3.2 billions with 78 tribal gaming operations (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Southern Nevada)
- St. Paul: $4.8 billions with 99 tribal gaming operations (Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin)
- Rapid City: $0.4 billion with 41 Indian gaming operations (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming)
- Tulsa: $3.2 billions with 74 tribal gaming operations (Eastern Oklahoma, Kansas)
- Oklahoma City: $3.0 billions with 70 tribal gaming operations (Western Oklahoma, Texas)
- Washington D.C.: $8.18 billions with 42 tribal gaming operations (Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina)
- Sacramento: $11.9 billions with 78 tribal gaming operations (California, Northern Nevada)
? Use of Tribal Gaming Revenues
As per the NIGC annual report 2023, the 2022 Gross Gaming Revenues (GGR) reached a record $40.9B, an increase of 4.9% over the financial year 2021. Seven out of eight NIGC regions showed an increase as businesses emerged from the pandemic.
IGRA requires net revenues from any tribal gaming operation to be used for these specific purposes:
- promote tribal economic development
- donation to charitable organizations
- funding of tribal government operations or programs
- general welfare of the Indian tribe and its members
- funding operations of local government agencies
It is also possible that a tribe can give per capita payment to tribe members, but it requires an approved Revenue Allocation Plan as per the law.
? Are Indian casinos Legal? How Did Tribes End up Managing Casinos?
The Supreme Court in California vs. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians (1987) underlined the authority of tribal governments to establish gaming operations which were independent of state regulation. Subsequent to that, the passage of Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988 has ensured that tribal gaming is an integral component of the United States gaming industry.
Today this sector offers vital support to the local Indian community. Supporting local businesses, funding critical government programs, and creating jobs and economic opportunities are some of the community benefits of tribal gaming.
Evolution of Tribal Gaming
The first Indian casino was built in Florida by the Seminole tribe. It was a bingo parlor that opened in 1979. The tribal gaming industry was mostly about small bingo halls in the late 1970s. It has grown manifold and now hosts thousands of slot machines, table games and hotel rooms across America.
As of Q4 2021, 250 tribes operated 515 Indian casinos or other gaming locations in the US. Tribal gaming actually generated 44 percent of all annual gaming revenue in the US before the pandemic, as per the data from the American Gaming Association (AGA).
In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Now 45 tribes across multiple states also offer legal and regulated sports betting options.
Tribal casino operators such as the following are also members of the American Gaming Association (AGA) to foster regulated gaming to support the $260+ billion US casino indstry and promote member tribe gaming priorities in the Congress and within the administration.
- Morongo Band of Mission Indians
- Pechanga Band of Luise?o Indians
- San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
- Seminole Hard Rock Gaming
- Wind Creek Hospitality
- Cherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC
- The Chickasaw Nation
- Choctaw Nation
- FireKeepers Casino Hotel
- Foxwoods Resort Casino
- Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment
Off-reservation Gaming
The IGRA “permits Native American Tribes to conduct gaming on land acquired outside of the tribe’s traditional reservation or other trust lands.” For off-reservation gaming, the the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs’ has an elaborate approval processes ensuring that the propsed gaming operation is in the best interests of the tribe and its members.
IGRA requires that Indian gaming occurs on Indian lands. Indian lands include land within the boundaries of a reservation. The land also includes land held in trust or restricted status by the United States on behalf of a tribe or individual over which a tribe has jurisdiction. For more details, check out the Indian lands opinions page on the website of the National Indian Gaming Commission.
Who Regulates Indian Gaming?
- Indian tribes themselves (primary regulators)
- NIGC regulates Class II gaming, as well as aspects of Class III gaming as per the IGRA.
- Class III gaming is regulated by compacts between tribes and states.
NIGC also offers a platform to report violations at Indian gaming facilities if the IGRA, NIGC Regulations, tribal gaming ordinance or other gaming-related laws are not followed in letter and spirit.
