The nuances and import of this story are probably a little beyond my ken — involving more factors than just online gaming and Indian poker lands … but it\’s not a tough leap to see it as potentially relevant as the US continues to move in this period of \”pre-regulation\” we seem to be in at the federal level.
Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) is pushing revisions to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act — the first such changes in 22 years — which would make it harder for Native American tribes with gaming licenses to acquire new land on which to build casinos.
Does Feinsiten have a sincere interest in limiting various Tribes\’ expansions? Or could this be part of a multi-level political negotiation connected to future online poker and gambling bills currently being haggled over in Washington DC? It\’s just a hypothesis at this point — no real information on my end — but it seems likely that Feinstein\’s legislation could become a bargaining chip for Harry Reid should it gather momentum. Just the threat of such restrictions, you would think, limits the power of Native Americans as they lobby to make sure they factor into the 21st Century gambling equation.
