WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sept. 15, 2026 – The Indian Gaming Association (IGA) today welcomed the U.S. Senate’s failure to advance H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, after the Senate rejected the procedural motion necessary to move the legislation forward.
The cloture motion failed by a vote of 49-50, falling far short of the 60 votes required to advance the bill.
For months, the Indian Gaming Association, Tribal Nations and partner organizations have urged Congress to reject any version of the CLARITY Act that fails to explicitly protect Tribal sovereignty, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), Tribal-state compact rights, and the authority of Tribal and state governments to regulate gaming within their jurisdictions.
“Today, Indian Country’s voice was heard,” said Indian Gaming Association Chairman David Z. Bean. “The Senate did the right thing by refusing to advance legislation that could have expanded CFTC commodities authority without providing the clear protections Tribal Nations have demanded. This is an important victory for Tribal sovereignty, but it is not the end of this fight.”
IGA opposed the legislation because it failed to clearly prohibit prediction-market platforms from offering sports betting and casino-style gambling through federally regulated event contracts or on decentralized finance platforms. It also failed to provide an unequivocal statement that federal commodities law cannot preempt IGRA, Tribal gaming laws, Tribal-state compacts or state gaming laws.
The Senate vote comes one day after Tribal organizations participated in a roundtable discussion with Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael Selig, where Tribal leaders again raised concerns about meaningful government-to-government consultation and the rapid expansion of prediction-market gambling products that operate outside established Tribal and state gaming regulatory systems.
“We have said from the beginning that this issue is bigger than one bill,” Chairman Bean said. “The fundamental question is whether the federal government will respect the sovereign authority of Tribal Nations and the gaming framework Congress established through IGRA. No federal agency and no new financial marketplace should be allowed to create a back door for nationwide gambling that ignores Tribal sovereignty.”
Chairman Bean emphasized that the Association will continue working with Tribal Nations, Congress, state governments and national partners to address the growing threat posed by prediction markets offering sports and casino-style wagering.
“We appreciate every Tribal leader, Tribal organization and partner who stood together and made their voices heard,” Bean said. “When Indian Country speaks together, Congress listens. Today’s vote demonstrates the power of that unity. Now we must remain united because the effort to protect Tribal sovereignty and stop illegal prediction-market gambling is far from over.”
IGA will continue to call for federal legislation and regulatory action that:
- Protects the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and Tribal-state gaming compacts from federal preemption;
- Preserves the sovereign authority of Tribal Nations and states to regulate gaming;
- Prohibits federally regulated prediction markets from offering sports betting and casino-style gambling through event contracts or on decentralized finance platforms; and
- Requires meaningful government-to-government consultation with Tribal Nations before federal actions are taken that could affect Tribal gaming rights or Tribal economies.
“This vote gives Congress an opportunity to get this right,” Chairman Bean concluded. “Any future legislation dealing with digital assets, prediction markets or federal commodities law must begin with a clear principle: Tribal sovereignty is not negotiable.”
