How U.S tribal nations/casinos are entering the digital space

With over twenty magnificent Pennsylvania online casinos available with a tap or a click 24/7 since 2019, it might be easy to overlook the traction that Tribal Nations are gaining in the online gambling sphere. Even if our readers’ first instinct is to play in person at luxurious retail casinos like Rivers Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, ever since 2005, there has been steady progress for Tribal land-based casinos in the Keystone State. However, after years of resistance, more Tribal and First Nations are now working to enter the competitive and lucrative world of online gambling.

Even though PennLive is dedicated to delivering winning reviews for the best Pennsylvania online casinos and U.S sweepstakes casinos, we keep an eye on the emergence of Tribal casinos. From the rise of the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs to gaining in online casinos, learn how Tribal Nations add to the casino experience.

The history and role of Tribal Casinos in the U.S.

While American retail casinos have been legal since the 1930s when Nevada became the first state to do so, they were relegated to Nevada and later Atlantic City. Also, the top commercial casino operators like MGM, Harrah’s, and Caesars Entertainment literally had a stranglehold on land-based casinos. However, as more retail casino expansion took place in the 80s in states like Michigan, the long-awaited opening that many First Nations tribes to enter the casino arena was at hand.

While Pennsylvania online gambling and other land-based gambling might be fun and games for our readers, gambling for Tribal Nations became essential for sovereign lands and for economic survival. Because Tribal Nations are considered sovereign in the United States and other countries like Canada, come the 1970s, on their reservations, they turned to simple casino games like bingo for financial reasons.

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The journey to the IGRA decision

However, after years of disputes and shutdowns with state and federal courts and commercial casinos, the Tribal Nations struggled to maintain steady revenue and endured plenty of financial setbacks. However, the tide began to change with the cases Seminole Tribe of Florida vs. Butterworth in 1981 and California vs. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians in 1987. Both cases backed up many of the First Nations’ arguments that neither the state nor federal governments could dictate policies like gambling on Tribal lands.

To make these rulings permanent, in 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Tribal Nations had the disputed right to operate casinos on their sovereign lands. With the legal precedent set, in 1988, the U.S. Congress officially passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The rise of Tribal Nation casinos

The IGRA Act gives Tribal Nations like the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the right to have land-based casinos under three casino license categories. The third category, which includes casino staple games like blackjack and slot machines, required Tribal Nations to have legal compacts with the state governments. From the passage of the IGRA Act came the National Indian Gaming Commission, which continues to play a major role in the expansion of new tribal-owned casinos and the expansion into iGaming.

The IGRA Act didn’t just help Tribal Nations economically, but many regions in the state as well. Before the 1990s, land-based casinos were relegated to Reno, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. With heavy First Nation presence in states like Mississippi, New Jersey, Florida, Oklahoma, and California throughout the 1990s and the 2000s, tribal casinos expanded at a phenomenal rate. Today, in California, home of the largest amount of tribal-owned casinos with over 70, they continue to expand.

Why Pennsylvania doesn’t have tribal-owned casinos

Even though the Keystone State has been a haven for commercial casinos since they became legal in 2004, with table games added later in a 2010 amendment, Pennsylvania doesn’t have official tribally owned casinos. While the Mohegan Sun of Pocono Downs is Native American-owned, it doesn’t operate by IGRA laws. To qualify, Tribal Nations must be recognized federally as sovereign and have tribal lands in a trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. With that in order, the Tribal Nations like the Lenape Nation and the Susquehannock Heritage Alliance in Pennsylvania would have to have a compact agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

How Tribal Nations are adopting to online gambling

Although it has been a slow-moving process, the ice is finally breaking for Tribal Nations to launch online casinos. As tribal-owned casinos continue to grow, leading online casino game developers like DraftKings Online Casino and FanDuel are forming more partnerships with Tribal Nations looking to go digital. For those in an area where Tribal online casinos are available or for those looking to switch things up, these top tribal-owned online casinos are shaking up the game:

Mohegan Sun (Connecticut)

The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut works with top casino game developers like FanDuel for a mix of five-reel video online slots and table games like blackjack. Thanks to its partnership with FanDuel, the Mohegan Sun of Connecticut also offers online sports betting.

Foxwoods Resort Online Casino (Connecticut)

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe operates both the land-based and online platforms for Foxwoods Resort Casino. With its partner DraftKings Online Casino, Foxwoods delivers exclusive and integrated DraftKings blackjack online games and other signature slots like Rocket Parts One and Two. The online Foxwoods Resort platform also hosts sports betting.

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Parx Casino (Pennsylvania)

Even though Parx Casino isn’t tribal-owned, it does have influence and maintains strategic partnerships throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The online Parx version, betParx PA Online Casino, is an extension of the Parx Casino brand. At betParx Online Casino, enjoy jackpot slots like Fortune Coin and live online roulette games like Lightning Roulette. It also offers a bonus back of up to $1,000 using the promo code PENNLIVE.

Challenges and Opportunities for Tribal Nations in the Digital Space

When Delaware legalized online gambling in 2012, becoming the first in the country, it jump-started the amazing American online casino industry. When states like Pennsylvania legalized online casinos in 2017 with HB 271, they did so with the stipulation that online casinos in the state had to partner with land-based casinos.

However, while the IGRA Act outlined clear steps for Tribal Nations to operate land-based casinos, there wasn’t clear language for online casinos. Furthermore, for the Tribal-owned casinos that currently have compacts, they have to re-negotiate them with the state to include online casinos, which has proven tricky, especially if the state already offers commercial online casinos.

The tribal rise into online casinos

Still, for Tribal Nations like the Mohegan Sun that operate online casinos in Connecticut and New Jersey, they continue to make a splash. For example, Mohegan Sun Online Casino New Jersey has a welcome bonus of $250 in bonus funds, which is on par with BetRivers PA Online Casino. The Pala Band of Mission Indians operates the Pala Online Casino. New Pala members get up to $500 in deposit match bonus funds and a $25 no-deposit bonus.

Online Casinos That Partner with Tribal Nations

Now that the red tape is broken more online casinos are forming winning partnerships with Tribal Nations.

• Golden Nugget Online Casino with the Coushatta Tribe: Although the Coushatta Tribe operates in Louisiana, they can extend their reach with a partnership with Golden Nugget Online Online Casino to deliver exclusive table and jackpot games and other live dealer games like online craps. Golden Nugget offers new users a welcome bonus of deposit $5, get $50.
• BetMGM with the Puyallup Tribe: Even though the BetMGM Online Casino brand continues to thrive in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, it works well with its partnership with the Puyallup Tribe. Operating casinos in Washington State. Because Washington State only legalizes sports betting, the BetMGM partnership welcomes them with the signature ,500 back with first sports bet losses.
• Poker Stars with the Mohegan Tribe: Poker Stars PA Online Casino continues to thrive in partnership with the Mohegan Tribe. Even though the Mohegan Tribe of Pennsylvania isn’t officially recognized as a sovereign tribe with official tribal land, the partnership helps Poker Stars expand its legendary online poker tournaments. Every day is a chance to win up to $500 in bonus funds, including exclusive poker tournament tickets.

The Future of Tribal Casinos and Online Gambling

Thanks to a flurry of re-negotiated state compacts, tribal online casinos are most certainly on the rise. Also, with technology making it easier to deliver superior online gaming platforms, many Tribal Nations are jumping on board the technological train like AI. Also, as more states work on legalizing online casinos, and especially sports betting, Tribal Nations are jumping at the opportunity to do so. The next mega states in line to pass either legal online casinos or sports betting include New York and California. New York nearly legalized it this year by almost calling a special session. California just fell short of legalizing online gambling and sports betting in 2024. Also, Ohio’s legislature is trying to legalize online casinos in the Buckeye State.

They are also partnering with powerhouses like FanDuel Online Casino and gaming developers like Evolution Gaming to bring live dealer play to the mobile level. With billions of Android devices alone, Tribal Nations are ensuring that their online casinos are highly mobile-friendly with dedicated apps as well. For the Tribal Nations that have land-based casinos in states where commercial casinos aren’t available, the current trend is to add an online presence to them through partnerships and re-negotiated state compacts to expand their online presence.

Conclusion

Since the IGRA Act of 1988 was passed, Tribal Nations have been full steam ahead, building state-of-the-art complexes and even going through renovations worth hundreds of millions. Even though states are still slowly legalizing online casinos, since the Supreme Court overturned the PAPSA ban in 2018, nearly 40 states offer sports betting in most of them, including online. With this new avenue open, Tribal Nations like the Mohegan are gaining an online presence in the sports betting world. Currently, New York is working to amend its sports betting bill to allow online bets, which opens the door for Tribal Nations like Oneida and Seneca Nations that already operate casinos in the Empire State.

When this happens, look for them to have one foot in the expanding world of legal online gambling. And if more states like New York, Ohio, Maine, and Iowa who currently have legislation for legal online gambling, finally get over the hump, look for tribal online casinos to become a thriving and new category with innovative games, ideas, and promotions, that gives the best Pennsylvania online casinos and even sweepstakes casinos a run for their money.