Residents and businesses within the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana are being reminded by officials of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes that Class III gaming is against the law on the reservation. Because the CKST and the state of Montana do not have a gaming compact, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act considers commercial gaming activities to be illegal.
Examples of illegal games include shake-a-day, sports boards, poker, video keno, banking card games and poker variations. If a bar chooses to ignore the law, CSKT officials note, it will “run the risk of incurring penalties that jeopardize their liquor licenses” under codes enforced by the Gambling Control Division of the Montana Department of Justice.
CSKT does have the authority to issue Class I gaming permits for fundraising activities on the reservation, including 50-50 raffles, poker runs and turkey shoots.
The CSKT Gaming Commission frequently issues free-of-charge charitable permits—between 122 and 135 annually–to nonprofits, schools and other organizations for help with special causes or projects.
