Tribal Gaming Glossary: Key IGRA, Compact and NIGC Terms Defined

Tribal gaming has its own vocabulary, drawn from federal statute, tribal law, regulatory practice and the casino business. This tribal gaming glossary defines the terms that appear most often in news coverage, compact documents and regulatory filings, and points to deeper explainers on this site where a term deserves more than a sentence.

Legal and regulatory terms

Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA). The 1988 federal statute that sets the framework for gaming on Indian lands. It divides gaming into three classes, creates the National Indian Gaming Commission, and requires that net gaming revenue be used for specified purposes. See the IGRA timeline.

Class I, Class II and Class III. Class I covers traditional social and ceremonial games and is regulated exclusively by tribes. Class II includes bingo and games similar to bingo, along with certain non-banked card games, and is regulated by tribes with National Indian Gaming Commission oversight. Class III covers everything else, including slot machines and banked table games, and generally requires a tribal-state compact. Our explainer on Class II versus Class III expands on the differences.

Tribal-state compact. A negotiated agreement between a tribe and a state that authorizes Class III gaming and addresses matters such as permitted games, regulation, and sometimes revenue sharing. A compact becomes effective when approved by the Secretary of the Interior, or by operation of law if the Secretary takes no action within 45 days, and notice is published in the Federal Register. The revenue-sharing explainer covers the financial terms.

Secretarial procedures. A fallback path under IGRA when a state does not negotiate in good faith and the tribe prevails in litigation, allowing the Secretary to prescribe the terms under which Class III gaming may proceed. See our explainer.

Indian lands. The land on which IGRA permits gaming, generally reservation land and land held in trust or restricted status for a tribe and over which the tribe exercises governmental power. The Indian lands explainer addresses the definition in detail.

Two-part determination. One exception to the general bar on gaming on land acquired after 1988. The Secretary must find gaming in the tribe's best interest and not detrimental to the surrounding community, and the governor must concur. Our Section 20 explainer covers the mechanics.

Fee-to-trust. The process by which land owned by a tribe in fee simple is taken into federal trust. Trust status is often a precondition for gaming eligibility and a frequent source of litigation and delay.

Regulatory bodies

National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC). The federal regulator created by IGRA. It reviews tribal gaming ordinances, approves management contracts, issues minimum internal control standards and can enforce through notices of violation, fines and closure orders. See how the NIGC regulates tribal gaming.

Tribal gaming regulatory authority (TGRA). The tribal agency that regulates a tribe's gaming day to day, including licensing, audits and compliance. It is distinct from the enterprise that operates the casino. See the TGRA explainer.

Minimum internal control standards (MICS). Federal baseline controls for cash handling, surveillance, accounting and game operations that tribal regulators are expected to meet or exceed.

Management contract. An agreement under which an outside company manages a tribal casino. IGRA requires NIGC approval and limits fees and terms; see the management contracts explainer.

Financial and operating terms

Gross gaming revenue (GGR). The amount wagered minus winnings paid out, before expenses. NIGC reports revenue on this basis, and our GGR explainer shows how to read the figures.

Net revenue and revenue allocation plan. IGRA limits how net gaming revenue may be used to five purposes: funding tribal government operations or programs, providing for the general welfare of the tribe and its members, promoting tribal economic development, donating to charitable organizations, and helping fund local government agencies. A tribe that makes per capita payments to members must have an approved revenue allocation plan. See net revenue allocation.

Per capita payment. A distribution of gaming revenue to tribal members, taxable to the recipient under federal law; see the per capita payments explainer.

Handle, coin-in and hold. Handle is the total amount wagered, coin-in is the equivalent measure for slot play, and hold is the share the casino keeps. See the metrics explainer.

Exclusivity. A compact term granting a tribe the exclusive right to offer certain games in a state, often in return for revenue sharing. Our piece on how exclusivity works covers the trade.

Sovereignty and jurisdiction terms

Tribal sovereign immunity. The doctrine that tribes cannot be sued without their consent or a clear congressional waiver. It affects patron disputes, contracts and compact enforcement; see our explainer on patron disputes.

Public Law 280. A federal law that transferred certain criminal and civil jurisdiction over Indian country to some states. It does not itself authorize state regulation of tribal gaming, a point discussed in the Public Law 280 explainer.

Hub-and-spoke. A sports-betting model in which wagers placed anywhere in a state are treated as occurring at servers on tribal land. See the hub-and-spoke explainer.

Using this glossary

Terms in tribal gaming often carry legal meaning that differs from everyday use, so precision matters. For state-specific context, the directory organizes tribes and properties by state, and the Legal Guide places these terms within the broader statutory framework.