An anti-online gambling group comprised of land-based casino operators and other stakeholders has now added its first tribal organization to its ranks.
The National Association Against iGaming (NAAiG) announced on July 24 that New Mexico gaming and hospitality company Laguna Development Corporation (LDC) has joined as its newest member. LDC is a wholly owned enterprise of the Pueblo of Laguna, a federally recognized tribe based in the state.
Under a tribal gaming compact, more than a dozen tribes offer licensed gambling in more than 20 brick-and-mortar casinos in New Mexico. LDC operates several casinos in the state, including Route 66 Casino Hotel, Casino Xpress and Dancing Eagle Casino. The New Mexico Gaming Control Board (NMGCB) maintains that all online real-money gambling including online casinos, sports betting, poker and sweepstakes casinos are illegal in the state.
“The decision to join NAAiG reflects growing concern among tribal operators that the expansion of iGaming undermines in-person casino traffic, reduces local economic activity and threatens the hard-won gains of tribal self-reliance through gaming,” stated an NAAiG press release.
“As a tribal enterprise, our success is directly tied to the communities we serve and the jobs we support,” added LDC President and CEO Maxine Velasquez. “We are joining NAAiG to make it clear that the voices and sovereign rights of tribal nations must not be ignored as the future of tribal gaming is shaped in this country.”
Velasquez also echoed the type of language frequently used by NAAiG leaders by asserting that iGaming is a danger to more than just retail operators’ bottom lines. “iGaming poses a threat to more than just our revenue,” she added. “It threatens the very foundation of tribal economic development that empowers our communities.”
NAAiG says Laguna adds tribal ‘authenticity’
The tribal entity joins a list of NAAiG members including casino operators Churchill Downs, Cordish Companies, Monarch Casino & Resort and Jack Entertainment. Real estate investment trust Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc., which owns nearly 70 casinos, joined in recent days and other members include Colorado‘s Gilpin County and the state’s cities of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek.
Along with brick-and-mortar casinos, tribal organizations are often some of the loudest in arguing against the expansion of online gaming in certain states. That has been the case in several states’ legislatures this year.
NAAiG board member and Cordish executive Mark Stewart said the addition of a tribal organization is a “historic milestone” for the association that formed early in 2025 and said the new member adds an “authentic” voice to the crowd.
“As the first Native American operator to join us, LDC brings a vital and authentic voice to this fight, one that understands firsthand how iGaming threatens more than jobs and revenue,” he added. “It puts tribal sovereignty, cultural heritage and decades of hard-won investment in Native communities at risk.”
The NAAiG states its mission is to “protect communities from the risks” of online gambling by advocating for responsible, in-person gaming and fighting against iGaming through advocacy, education and policy initiatives.
Different iDEAs on iGaming
Not all retail casino operators subscribe to the NAAiG’s way of thinking.
The iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA Growth), whose membership includes companies operating both retail and online wagering such as Rush Street Interactive, Boyd Interactive and Bally’s, told SBC Americas that opposition to iGaming is “both misguided and misinformed.”
“In contrast to this small group of opponents, many leading U.S. casino operators recognize iGaming as a valuable complement to their brick-and-mortar businesses,” said that group. “The real risk to consumers and state economies is not the expansion of legal iGaming — it’s the unchecked growth of the illegal and unregulated online gaming market, which thrives in the absence of legal alternatives.”
