NIGC chair vacancy enters seventh month, stalling oversight and tribal casino deals

Leadership vacuum stretches into seventh month

The National Indian Gaming Commission has gone seven months without a permanent chair, with the White House yet to name a successor. Sharon Avery, who had been serving as acting chair, left the role in January when her term expired, though she remains a commissioner. The previous Senate-confirmed chair termed out under the Biden administration without a successor in place.

Because federal law vests key enforcement authority solely in the chair, the NIGC is currently unable to certify casino management agreements, approve new tribal gambling laws, issue citations for certain violations, or order emergency closures of unsafe facilities. No enforcement action has been taken since January 12, the same day Avery's term expired. The commission has said tribal officials and field staff continue to provide "excellent regulation" despite the gap, but former chair Jonodev Chaudhuri argued the agency is "operating with one arm tied behind its back."

Harrah's deal shows real-world impact

The leadership gap has concrete consequences for tribal operators. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma opened a Harrah's-branded casino in Chandler in April, and the property reached capacity on opening day. But the planned transfer of day-to-day management to Harrah's parent company cannot be certified without a chair, leaving tribal government staff to run the 175,000-square-foot facility alongside their existing duties. Iowa Tribe Chairman Jacob Keyes called the situation discouraging: "We're paying a fee and not getting the full value."

The uncertainty could also weigh on investment. "Markets function best when there's stability and certainty around processes and rules," said Steven Light, a tribal gambling law expert at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Record revenue and the prediction-market fight

The stakes are sizable. About 250 tribal governments across 29 states operate 545 gambling facilities, and tribal gaming generated a record $46 billion in 2025 — nearly three times Nevada's annual casino revenue. That money funds healthcare, housing, education and other tribal services, said David Bean, chairman of the Indian Gaming Association.

The NIGC vacancy coincides with a separate dispute over online prediction markets. At least eight tribes have sued platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, alleging they accept wagers on tribal lands and in exclusive-gambling states in violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The platforms dispute the claim, saying users engage in futures trading rather than gambling. The chair typically serves as the tribal gaming industry's advocate in Washington, and former officials have noted the agency's silence as federal regulators weigh how to handle prediction markets.

Some tribal leaders see a political dimension to the vacancy. James Siva, vice chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and head of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, pointed to the administration's support for the prediction-market industry. "It is not a coincidence by any means," he said. The April appointment of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland to the commission has also raised concerns about executive branch influence over an agency designed to operate independently; former NIGC chief of staff Shannon O'Loughlin called that "uncomfortable."