Tribal gaming leaders used the 29th Annual Western Indian Gaming Conference at Pechanga Resort Casino to sharpen their message on prediction markets, arguing that federal actionnow risks bypassing the legal structure that governs tribal and state-regulated gambling. The Indian Gaming Association appeared alongside tribal leaders and national organizations and framed the growth of sports-related event contracts as an urgent challenge for tribal sovereignty, consumer protections, and regulatory authority.

Conference Panels Focus On Sovereignty And Enforcement

The conference included a three-part series titled “Betting Without Permission: The Existential Threat of Prediction Markets on California Tribal Gaming,” which focused on the legal, regulatory, and sovereignty implications of prediction markets. Speakers described a situation where platforms seek nationwide reach through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, rather than through tribal-state compacts, state authorization, or congressional action.

“The CFTC is being used as a vehicle to authorize nationwide gambling without tribal consent, without state authorization, and without congressional approval,” Victor Rocha said. “This is federal overreach at its most dangerous. Tribal gaming exists because of negotiated agreements, federal law, and voter approval. Prediction markets attempt to erase that structure through unilateral federal action. Indian Country will not accept that.”

In the second session, “Defining the Threat: When Gambling Is Recast as a Financial Product,” panelists described prediction markets as an effort to treat sports wagering as financial trading. Speakers said that shift lets unlicensed platforms operate outside established oversight and outside the consumer safeguards that tribal and state systems require.

“These illegal prediction markets are a deliberate attempt to circumvent tribal sovereignty and federal law,” said Jason Giles. “By allowing these platforms to operate, federal regulators are undermining decades of federal Indian policy and enabling unlawful gaming activity nationwide. Tribal nations will not stand by while sovereign authority is ignored and lawful gaming is threatened.”

The final session, “The Case for Unified Action: How Tribes Fight Back,” highlighted coordination among tribal leaders and national partners. The IGA pointed to the scale of tribal gaming and the role it plays in funding government services.

Tribal gaming generated $43.9 billion in revenue through 2024, supporting services that include healthcare, education, infrastructure, and economic development. Conference speakers argued that prediction markets now compete with that system while operating outside it.

“Illegal prediction markets are exactly what they sound like: illegal, unregulated online sports betting that operates outside federal and state law,” said IGA Chairman David Z. Bean, according to Indian Gaming. “Actions by the CFTC under this administration are enabling an unlawful end-run around tribal governments, state regulators, and Congress itself. This is not innovation. This is illegal gambling, and it represents a direct attack on tribal sovereignty and the rule of law.”

Trade Show Push Frames Washington Strategy

In separate remarks during an IGA weekly webinar, Bean urged tribes to show up in force at the annual Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego, tying attendance to the resources needed for federal advocacy.

“Please register and encourage your tribal leaders to register, because this issue is too important,” Bean said. “We’re under threat. Our ability to provide for our communities are under threat. Our sovereignty is under threat. It’s important to attend the annual trade show and join the association. Attending the trade show helps us develop the budget to take on this battle in Washington, D.C.”

Rocha backed that call with his own message: “United we stand. Divided we fall.”

Bean said he has spent the month meeting with tribes and lobbying members of Congress, including speaking at the National Congress of American Indians and hosting a congressional briefing in Washington with members of the Senate. He said tribes see the same theme across regions.

“We’ve been pounding the pavement visiting tribes and tribal organizations,” Bean said. “In Washington, we had a robust dialogue regarding the CFTC. We took tribal leaders on the Hill to talk to members of the Senate. There’s genuine concern. While it’s a new topic, it’s a complex topic in front of us and tribes all around the nation are concerned. They view it as an incredible intrusion on tribal sovereignty.”

Market Growth Claims Add Pressure On States And Tribes

Bean and Rocha pointed to the speed at which prediction market operators expanded sports-related contracts over the past year. Bean referenced major operators and argued that tribes and states see legal conflicts, while operators cite federal oversight through the CFTC. He also said courts have mostly sided with states and tribes.

“The laws we signed up to follow to regulate our own gaming operation are being trampled on, disregarded, and ignored,” Bean said. “This has taken off like wildfire and it’s an incredible violation of the law – federal, state, and tribal. Our mission is clear: to protect tribal sovereignty, Indian gaming, and our communities and find ways to move forward as our ancestors have done before us.”

He also tied the dispute to compliance standards that tribes follow, including age checks and verifying sources of funds.

“We’ve grown because of regulation. But when looking at these illegal sports betting contracts, there are no guardrails,” Bean said. “There’s no age verification and no verification of sources of funds and you don’t know who is placing the bet. You don’t know if it’s a bet with inside information.”

Rocha argued that the current pace reflects an effort to lock in a business model before policymakers respond.

“They are moving so fast to entrench themselves, because they know this isn’t sustainable,” Rocha said. “They’re trying to move as fast as they can to cement their profits.”

At the conference, Bean said the IGA is coordinating outreach with states, attorneys general, members of Congress, and gaming industry partners as it builds legal and policy responses.

“We are building a unified national coalition to confront this threat,” Bean said. “Tribes, states, and our industry partners are standing together to defend lawful gaming and protect our sovereign rights. We will use every legal, legislative, and regulatory tool available until these illegal prediction markets are stopped.”