Tribal Leaders Slam Prediction Markets as Threat to Indian Gaming
Tribal gaming leaders labeled sports prediction markets an “existential threat” to Indian gaming, warning of legal battles to protect their rights, as reported by Daniel O’Boyle from InGame.
A Unified Front
Tribal gaming leaders sounded the alarm on sports prediction markets during a May 14, 2025, webinar, calling platforms like Kalshi a direct challenge to the tribal gaming market, per Daniel O’Boyle’s reporting for InGame.
“This is an existential threat,” said Scott Crowell of the Crowell Law Office Tribal Advocacy Group, stressing the stakes for Native American gaming. Hosted by the Indian Gaming Association (IGA), the “New Normal” webinar highlighted fears that unregulated futures contracts could unravel the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), sparking a tough fight to preserve tribal exclusivity.
The webinar, titled “This Is Happening Now — How Prediction Markets Undermine Tribal Gaming Rights,” laid bare the tribes’ concerns, as O’Boyle detailed.
Platforms offering sports event contracts nationwide bypass IGRA, which governs tribal gambling. “If it’s gaming, it’s violating IGRA,” said IGA Executive Director Jason Giles, questioning why tribes must follow strict rules if others don’t.
Giles argued that unchecked prediction markets could erode the legal foundation of tribal gaming, threatening revenue streams.
Legal Battles on the Horizon
Tribal experts are gearing up for a fight, per O’Boyle’s report. Joseph H. Webster of Hobbs, Straus, Dean & Walker, LLC, called for tribes to join states in legal efforts to block prediction markets.
“The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s rules are clear,” Webster said, arguing the CFTC isn’t enforcing bans on gaming futures contracts.
Tribes may sue to stop sports futures on their lands or in states where they hold exclusivity, leveraging IGRA’s protections. The webinar underscored a unified stance, with leaders seeing litigation as a way to safeguard the tribal market from platforms like Kalshi.
The sudden shift in regulatory enforcement struck a chord with tribal leaders, O’Boyle noted. IGA Conference Chair Victor Rocha drew parallels to historical injustices.
“The rules are changing now,” Rocha said, likening prediction markets to past instances where Native American rights were undermined.
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