The Indian National Gaming Commission has proposed new rules to regulate video bingo machines and make them slower, require more player participation and a bingo display in order to make it clear to punters that they are playing bingo and not a slot machine.

These new rules concern Indian tribes since many of them use video bingo machines as a substitute for slots because they do not have a slots license. “This is serious,” Marjorie Mejia, chairwoman of Northern California's Lytton Band of Pomo Indians said.

Mejia also explained that the Lytton Band has been unable to get a permission to run slot machines from California lawmakers. As a result, the tribe obtains all its revenue from its 937 bingo machines.

The leaders of the Lytton Band as well as other tribal officials fear that video machines would not be allowed under the new regulations and the slower machines would not appeal to players, which could mean bankruptcy for Indian Casinos.