A $46 billion tribal gambling industry is operating with zero federal enforcement because the chair of its watchdog agency has sat empty for months — and nobody in Washington seems interested in filling it.

The National Indian Gaming Commission hasn't issued a single enforcement action since Jan. 12, the same day acting chairperson Sharon Avery's term expired. Under federal law, the commission's core powers — citing casinos for violations, forcing emergency closures of unsafe facilities, approving tribal gambling ordinances, certifying management contracts — are vested solely in the chairperson. No chair, no enforcement.

President Trump has not nominated anyone to fill the vacancy. Congress hasn't pressed the issue. The result: a regulatory vacuum over an industry that pulled in a record $46 billion in 2025, nearly triple Nevada's annual casino revenue, across 545 gambling facilities operated by 250 tribal governments in 29 states.

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is living the consequences. The tribe opened a Harrah's-branded casino in Chandler, Oklahoma, in April, banking on the gambling giant's name to draw crowds. It worked — Chairman Jacob Keyes said opening day was so packed that staff couldn't let more people in. But the tribe's deal for Harrah's parent company to take over day-to-day management is stuck in limbo because the commission can't certify the management contract without a chair.

"It's discouraging. We're paying a fee and not getting the full value," Keyes told the Associated Press. The tribe's small government staff now has to manage the 175,000-square-foot casino itself while balancing tribal budgets and social programs.

Former NIGC chair Jonodev Chaudhuri, who led the commission from 2013 to 2019, warned that the agency's inertia risks weakening oversight and leaving tribes without a key advocate as online prediction markets emerge as a new competitive threat. "At this crucial time, the NIGC is operating with one arm tied behind its back," Chaudhuri said. "That's a very precarious position for tribes and Indian gaming."

The commission declined an interview request and said in a statement that tribal officials and field staff provide "excellent regulation" amid the leadership gap. That's the agency policing itself telling the public not to worry about the agency policing itself.

In a typical year, the commission cites tribes for operating casinos on unauthorized lands, failing to submit required financial statements, and misusing revenues. Right now, none of that is happening. The last enforcement action came the day the acting chair's term expired. Every violation since January has gone unchecked.

Who benefits from a toothless watchdog? Not the tribes trying to close legitimate business deals. Not the public that relies on the commission to ensure casino revenues fund the healthcare, housing, and education programs they were promised to support. The beneficiaries are any operator cutting corners in a $46 billion industry that currently has no cop on the beat.

The NIGC was created in 1988 to regulate casino-style gambling and promote economic development on tribal lands. Both parties have presided over this system that concentrates all enforcement power in a single presidential appointee. Both parties have let that seat go unfilled. The question is how long a $46 billion industry runs without a referee before somebody in Washington decides it matters.