Editorial: Babbitt seeks to skirt federal law

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1998 | 11:09 a.m.

The 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was clear that tribes need to get an agreement from a governor before Indian gaming can be allowed in a state. But tribes believe the states are refusing to negotiate fairly with them. The governors argue they've rejected pacts because the tribes were seeking to run high-stakes gambling Congress never intended.

So the tribes have turned to Babbitt, who is proposing a federal regulation that would give him the power to approve an Indian gaming project if a governor rejected it. Worried about this recipe for disaster, Congress imposed a moratorium on Babbitt's plan that is set to expire Oct. 1.

Tribes say that they just want to develop their economically depressed economies and be on an equal footing with non-Indian casinos. But they undercut their own argument when they seek to run types of gambling that the states don't allow. States have every reason to fear full-blown gaming on reservations, considering what little regulation exists.

For instance, Nevada's Gaming Control Board alone has 450 employees and a $25 million budget to oversee about 200 casinos. In contrast, the National Indian Gaming Commission has just 40 employees and a $5 million budget to oversee about 285 casinos in 28 states.

Babbitt has been an effective interior secretary, but Indian gaming is his blind spot. It's encouraging that the federal gambling commission has sent a clear message to Babbitt that his plan should be shelved until the panel finishes its investigation. It also should give a boost to legislation that would permanently bar Babbitt from imposing the misguided regulation.

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