Tribal Gaming Leaders Take Fight Over Prediction Markets to Washington
The Indian Gaming Association (IGA) has launched its 2026 Summer Legislative Summit, bringing tribal leaders from across the country to Capitol Hill for two days of meetings with senators and congressional staff.
The focus of the summit is to defend tribal sovereignty and protect tribal government gaming from what leaders describe as a growing threat posed by prediction market gambling.
The Association is pressing Congress to amend the CLARITY Act, adding language that would block sports and casino-style gambling through prediction markets and confirm that tribal, state, and federal gaming laws remain intact.
“Indian Country is united because this is one of the greatest threats tribal government gaming has faced in a generation,” said IGA Chairman David Z. Bean.
Push for amendments to the CLARITY Act
At the heart of the Summit was a call to amend the CLARITY Act. Tribal leaders urged Congress to include language that bans sports and casino-style gambling through prediction markets and ensures no part of the law overrides tribal, state, or federal gaming regulations.
Without such protections, leaders argued, cryptocurrency-based prediction markets could expand unchecked, bypassing decades of established gaming laws.
Bean stressed that the Summit built on months of advocacy. “We are reinforcing more than a year of education with Congress,” he said. “Some senators support our position, some remain undecided, and others simply need more information. Our responsibility is to continue showing Congress that prediction markets are not simply financial products. They are gambling that directly threatens tribal governments and the future of Indian gaming.”
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Tribes accelerate sports betting plans as prediction market pressure grows
As the Indian Gaming Association presses Congress in Washington, tribal leaders in California are keeping their own timeline in focus.
CNIGA Chairman James Siva told attendees at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States summer meeting in San Diego that tribes remain committed to 2028 as the year they will bring a tribally led online sports betting initiative to voters.
“We’re still very much looking at 2028 as a date that tribes are preparing to move forward with a tribally led initiative for an online sports betting market,” he said.
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and tribal‑state compacts, tribes hold exclusive rights to offer Class III gaming, which includes sports betting. Any online expansion would require voter approval and renegotiation of compacts. Siva stressed that the plan must be fair, ensuring benefits for all tribes, including non‑gaming communities.
However, prediction markets are already cutting into revenues. “Without a doubt, prediction markets are the largest, most impending threat we’ve faced since the creation of this industry,” Siva warned, estimating losses of up to five percent. “We’re starting to see real revenue numbers leave Indian Country.”
Several tribes have already filed federal lawsuits against platforms such as Kalshi and Robinhood, arguing they violate federal law and tribal exclusivity agreements.
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