Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jun 25, 1997
Gaming Clarification Act of 1997 - Amends the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to state that article III of the Constitution of Missouri which authorizes the State legislature to permit games of chance only upon the Missouri River or the Mississippi River, conducted on excursion gambling boats and floating facilities: (1) is a prohibitory measure; and (2) may not be construed to permit land-based class III gaming. (Sec. 3) Applies current restrictions on lands acquired by the Secretary of the Interior in trust for the benefit of an Indian tribe to any lands acquired by the Secretary in trust for the benefit of an Indian tribe when at the time of the taking of those lands into trust, those lands are located outside of the State in which the tribe is located. (Sec. 4) Prohibits lands taken into trust for an Indian tribe after enactment of this Act from being considered Indian lands upon which class II or class III gaming may be conducted, except when: (1) the Indian tribe submits an application to the Secretary containing an explicit declaration of the intent of the Indian tribe to conduct gaming on those lands; and (2) the Secretary approves the declaration contained in the petition.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Explore the bill from different angles
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Neutral evidence review
Objective
Analyze S.962 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact
Progressive lens
Examine S.962 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope
Conservative lens
Examine S.962 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power
Liberty lens
Examine S.962 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.