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The Trump administration has seen a flurry of people move in and out of the team. Some by choice (White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is the latest is announce her leave), others have been fired by Trump (we’re looking at you, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem).
But here’s an interesting story of a position on Trump’s government just not being filled at all. For months.
And not just any position, but one that Native American tribes across the country depended on. We’re talking about a chairperson for the National Indian Gaming Commission. It’s been vacant since January 2026, and tribes are starting to wonder whether this is intentional by Trump, who has the power to pick a person for the role. Keep on reading, and we’ll tell you all about it.
Tribes Are Counting On A New Chairperson
When we’re talking about the legal betting industry, it can be easy to forget Native American tribes. They don’t have the marketing dollars that top sports betting apps or commercial casinos do, so they aren’t well-known.
But don’t confuse recognition for impact because the tribes move this industry. Get this, just under 250 tribes across 29 states operate 545 gambling facilities in this country. That’s not a small number.
Which makes this vacancy all the more puzzling. This role is super important to the tribes. Think of it as being the top federal regulator for tribal gaming — the final sign-off for tribal matters.
For those unaware, the NIGC oversees tribal casinos under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, while tribes themselves remain the primary regulators of their gaming operations wherever they are. But… this chair approves (or rejects) tribal gaming ordinances and contracts, among many other things.
The NIGC is a three-person committee. But only the chair can be nominated by the sitting president and then approved by the Senate. So there’s no underestimating Trump’s role in this… he’s overlooked the role for eight months now. That’s eight months too long for some tribes, as we’ll get into next.
Oklahoma Tribe Is Getting Shafted The Most
Last month, the New Mexico Attorney General became the latest to file a lawsuit against Kalshi. New Mexico betting is completely tribal-run, and they feel prediction markets are overstepping their bounds in-state. Whoever chairs the NIGC could be a good sounding board for New Mexico’s AG, but no one’s there.
That’s a nuisance, but other tribes aren’t as lucky. Take Oklahoma, for example. They are waiting on a crucial signature from the chairperson to operate their business at the highest level.
In April, the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma opened a brand-new Harrah’s casino in Chandler. This is a high-end place, too. We’re talking a 175,000-square-foot property with more than 1,000 slot machines, table games, restaurants, and the whole nine yards.
The tribe brought in Caesars, which owns the Harrah’s brand, with the expectation they would eventually take over day-to-day management. Many tribes aren’t fine outsourcing operations to commercial brands like Caesars or a BetMGM.
But here’s the issue: that management agreement needs certification from the NIGC chairperson. And with no one there, they haven’t been able to get a signature.
So instead, Iowa Tribe employees are stuck running the casino themselves while also handling their normal government responsibilities like budgets and social programs. They are frustrated because it’s not what they signed up for when they decided to launch the business years ago.
“It’s discouraging. We’re paying a fee and not getting the full value,” Iowa Tribe Chairman Jacob Keyes told the Associated Press.
This inaction by Trump has some tribal leaders thinking it’s intentional. Keep reading, and we’ll explain in the next section.
Is The Prediction Market Fight Connected?
Do you have your conspiracy hat on? You might need it for this bombshell.
As we know, tribes (and states) across the country have aligned together to fend off Kalshi and Polymarket. The rise of these platforms is an existential threat to tribal casinos and sportsbooks. By our count, we’re up to about a dozen state lawsuits already against the platforms.
Well, tribes are now saying the quiet part out loud: is Trump purposely ignoring the position to help out prediction markets? That’s a theory that comes straight from the mouth of James Siva, head of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association.
“These things are happening in conjunction with each other,” Siva said. “It is not a coincidence by any means.”
It’s not a far-fetched theory either. Not when Trump has openly aligned themselves with the new industry. Trump has spoken favorably about prediction markets. The Trump-owned media company announced plans for Truth Predict. His son served as an “advisor” to several of the top platforms. And ultimately, this industry has caught fire during his second presidency.
So yeah, you can make a strong argument there’s a connection here. After all, Trump — hate him or love him — is not known for inaction. If anything, he has a problem putting his hands on too many things.
So does it really make sense that this chairperson has gone unpicked for eight months? We have our doubts — and so do tribes across the country.
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