Title 25IndiansRelease 119-73

§2701 Findings

Title 25 › Chapter CHAPTER 29— - INDIAN GAMING REGULATION › § 2701

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Recognizes that many tribes run or license gambling on tribal lands to raise government money. Courts say the Secretary must review management contracts for Indian gaming, but there are no clear rules for approval and federal law lacks clear standards. It supports tribal economic development, self-sufficiency, and that tribes alone regulate gaming on their lands unless federal law or state criminal law bans it.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §2701

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Congress finds that—
(1)numerous Indian tribes have become engaged in or have licensed gaming activities on Indian lands as a means of generating tribal governmental revenue;
(2)Federal courts have held that section 81 of this title requires Secretarial review of management contracts dealing with Indian gaming, but does not provide standards for approval of such contracts;
(3)existing Federal law does not provide clear standards or regulations for the conduct of gaming on Indian lands;
(4)a principal goal of Federal Indian policy is to promote tribal economic development, tribal self-sufficiency, and strong tribal government; and
(5)Indian tribes have the exclusive right to regulate gaming activity on Indian lands if the gaming activity is not specifically prohibited by Federal law and is conducted within a State which does not, as a matter of criminal law and public policy, prohibit such gaming activity.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 100–497, § 1, Oct. 17, 1988, 102 Stat. 2467, provided: “That this Act [enacting this chapter and sections 1166 to 1168 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure] may be cited as the ‘Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 2701

Title 25Indians

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73