Twenty seven Indian tribes in Washington State now have approval for Class III gaming thanks to a new compact approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Almost every tribe in the state signed the new agreement which will allow additional gaming devices to be installed in the tribal facilities.
According to the Chairman of the Washington State Gambling Commission, Chris Steams, the compact amendments for the twenty seven tribes are an important milestone for the people of the state as well as the Indian tribes.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs will now have authorization to review gaming compacts. The agency has a record showing that 78% of all agreements from 1998 to 2014 were approved, based on information released by the Government Accountability Office. The approval of the BIA for the compacts was first published by the Federal Register for notice.