Oklahoma House of Representatives
Mike W. Ray, Media Division Director
January 15, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: State Rep. Wayne Pettigrew
Capitol: (405) 557-7342
Edmond: (405) 340-9290

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A federal official who specializes in gambling matters will address Oklahoma legislators later this month.

Philip N. Hogen, chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission, will be the featured speaker at a House Rules Committee meeting scheduled Jan. 29. The event will be held in the House of Representatives chamber in the State Capitol here, starting at 10 a.m.

The hearing is part of a legislative examination of gambling requested by Rep. Wayne Pettigrew. The Edmond Republican told his colleagues the intent of his study is to provide information about the subject of gambling "and its governing laws, regulations, history and oversight." Pettigrew wants to review the classes of gaming, the various
types of games and gambling devices, the chronology of gaming in the United States, plus laws and court decisions that pertain to gambling.

"This information should prove valuable as the Legislature, the Governor's Office and the Native American tribes in Oklahoma deal with these issues during the upcoming legislative session and the foreseeable future."

Hogen was nominated by President George W. Bush to chair the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) and, after confirmation by the U.S. Senate, was sworn into office in December 2002.

NIGC is the independent federal regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior that was established by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to provide federal oversight for the Indian gaming industry. Its duties and services include reviewing and approving tribal gaming ordinances, resolutions, and management contracts; inspecting and auditing tribal gaming records and operations; and providing guidance to tribes on the requirements and restrictions of federal gaming laws.

Prior to his appointment as NIGC chairman, Hogen was associate solicitor for the Division of Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. He also was an associate member and vice chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission in 1995-99. Hogen is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
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