The Poarch Band Indians of Alabama are seeking changes to their Class III Gaming permit so that pari-mutuel betting on horse races and greyhounds may be allowed on their reservation lands.  Class III gaming essentially permits all types of gambling, including lotteries, bingo, pari-mutuel betting and other forms of casino gambling, to take place.  According to State Law, Alabama does indeed permit Class III Gaming.  However, certain areas of the State impose strict restrictions on pari-mutuel betting, which is essentially the argument of Attorney General Troy King, who is fighting to put a stop on the expansion of casino gambling and real-money betting on Indian tribal lands.

The potential roadblocks to the Poarch Band Indian's request is that all Class III Gaming licenses must be defined exactly how they will be conducted, which means that negotiations with the State of Alabama are unavoidable.  Unlike a Class I and Class II Gambling License, which strictly cover traditional/social gambling games, bingo and games similar to bingo, a Class III license can potentially cover every form of gambling in Alabama, and so therefore is much more of a sticky matter.

Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, all States who already permit Class III casino gambling are required to negotiate with a tribe in good faith when requested to approve and negotiate Class III Gaming activities.  If such a request is not honored by the State, or is negotiated in bad faith, the Indian tribe may file a case with U.S. District Courts, at which point the State will have to defend her actions.

Despite this seemingly complicated negotiation process, the odds are in the Poarch Indian's favor.  The tribe simply wants to add pari-mutuel betting, sweepstakes and poker tournaments to the list of tolerable gambling activities on their Alabama reservation, which is by no means an unreasonable request.  However, Alabama Attorney General King will do all he can to restrict the gambling activities of the tribe.  Responding to the tribe's request to negotiate their Class III Gaming License, King wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (who will make the final decision regarding the request), that if they do honor the request, then it should be regulated according to the strictest conditions that already regulate Class III Gambling in certain areas of the State of Alabama.