Indian Tribe to Allow Underage Poker

In a highly controversial move, the Meskwaki Indian tribe in Iowa may raise the ire of quite a few people.  The tribe is planning to offer poker games to patrons below the state’s legal age limit of 21 at its Tama Casino.  The poker games run by the casino would be offered to patrons 18 to 21 and would be run without the casino taking a rake – or cut of the winnings.  All other casino games, such as slots, blackjack, and various table games, would still be prohibited to anyone under the age of 21.

The tribe is planning on using a clause in the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to accomplish and justify this controversial action.  The law states that certain forms of gambling can be offered by tribes if it is not covered by a state compact.  Ethics notwithstanding on the effects of gambling and the addiction that could result from it, the tribe is going ahead with its plans to get the underage poker playing legalized.

Surprisingly enough, the Meskwaki tribe is not the first to attempt this.  In 1999 the Winnebago tribe in Iowa allowed all forms of gambling to be done by patrons 18 and older, not limiting the type of games that could be played as the Meskwaki tribe is doing.  The state has placed the age limitations on gambling within its borders, but the Winnebago tribe had fought back stating that their sovereign state prevented the law prohibiting gambling by minors from affecting their casino.  The state and the Winnebago tribe did come to a resolution on the matter in 2005 and developed a new compact over the issue.

Jack Ketterer, a representative of the Iowa Gaming Association, went on record to specifically state that the other seventeen casinos in Iowa would follow state law and prohibit the gambling of anyone under the age of twenty-one.  He made it point to state that the law did not give the other casinos the option to follow the tribe’s example.

Wes Ehrecke, the president of the Iowa Gamin Association, has been questioning the tribe’s motivation behind this controversial declaration.  He is concerned about the quality of safety measures that would be put in place to protect the subject age group – if any are put in place at all.  "What will be the enforcement and regulating mechanism so they are not playing other games when they are not playing poker?"  He went on to state that he sees the move as an attempt to cause competitive disadvantage for the state-licensed casinos spread throughout Iowa.