§ 537.1 - Applications for approval.

§ 537.1 Applications for approval.

(a) For each management contract for class II gaming, the Chairman shall conduct or cause to be conducted a background investigation of:

(1) Each person with management responsibility for a management contract;

(2) Each person who is a director of a corporation that is a party to a management contract;

(3) All persons who have 10 percent or more or indirect financial interest in a management contract;

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4) All entities with 10 percent or more financial interest in a management contract; and

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5) Any other person or entity with a direct or indirect financial interest in a management contract otherwise designated by the Commission.

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4) Any entity with a financial interest in a management contract (in the case of any tribe, a wholly owned tribal entity, national bank, or institutional investor that is federally regulated or is required to undergo a background investigation and licensure by a state or tribe pursuant to a tribal-state compact, the Chair may exercise discretion and reduce the scope of the information to be furnished and the background investigation to be conducted); and

(5) Any other person with a direct or indirect financial interest in a management contract otherwise designated by the Commission.

(b) For each natural person identified in paragraph (a) of this section, the management contractor shall provide to the Commission the following information:

(1) Required information.

(i) Full name, other names used (oral or written), social security number(s), birth date, place of birth, citizenship, and gender;

(ii) A current photograph, driver's license number, and a list of all languages spoken or written;

(iii) Business and employment positions held, and business and residence addresses currently and for the previous ten (10) years; the city, state and country of residence from age eighteen (18) to the present;

(iv) The names and current addresses of at least three (3) personal references, including one personal reference who was acquainted with the person at each different residence location for the past five (5) years;

(v) Current business and residence telephone numbers;

(vi) A description of any existing and previous business relationships with Indian tribes, including ownership interests in those businesses;

(vii) A description of any existing and previous business relationships with the gaming industry generally, including ownership interests in those businesses;

(viii) The name and address of any licensing or regulatory agency with which the person has filed an application for a license or permit relating to gaming, whether or not such license or permit was granted;

(ix) For each gaming offense and for each felony for which there is an ongoing prosecution or a conviction, the name and address of the court involved, the charge, and the dates of the charge and of the disposition;

(x) For each misdemeanor conviction or ongoing misdemeanor prosecution (excluding minor traffic violations) within ten (10) years of the date of the application, the name and address of the court involved, and the dates of the prosecution and the disposition;

(xi) A complete financial statement showing all sources of income for the previous three (3) years, and assets, liabilities, and net worth as of the date of the submission; and

(xii) For each criminal charge (excluding minor traffic charges) regardless of whether or not it resulted in a conviction, if such criminal charge is within 10 years of the date of the application and is not otherwise listed pursuant to paragraphs (b)(1)(ix) or (b)(1)(x) of this section, the name and address of the court involved, the criminal charge, and the dates of the charge and the disposition.

(2) Fingerprints. The management contractor shall arrange with an appropriate federal, state, or tribal law enforcement authority to supply the Commission with a completed form FD-258FD–258, Applicant Fingerprint Card, (provided by the Commission), for each person for whom background information is provided under this section.

(3) Responses to Questions. Each person with a direct or indirect financial interest in a management contract or management responsibility for a management contract shall respond within thirty (30) days to written or oral questions propounded by the Chairman.

(4) Privacy notice. In compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, each person required to submit information under this section shall sign and submit the following statement:

Solicitation of the information in this section is authorized by 25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq. The purpose of the requested information is to determine the suitability of individuals with a financial interest in, or having management responsibility for, a management contract. The information will be used by the National Indian Gaming Commission members and staff and Indian tribal officials who have need for the information in the performance of their official duties. The information may be disclosed to appropriate federal, tribal, state, or foreign law enforcement and regulatory agencies in connection with a background investigation or when relevant to civil, criminal or regulatory investigations or prosecutions or investigations of activities while associated with a gaming operation. Failure to consent to the disclosures indicated in this statement will mean that the Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission will be unable to approve the contract in which the person has a financial interest or management responsibility.

The disclosure of a person's Social Security Number (SSN) is voluntary. However, failure to supply a SSN may result in errors in processing the information provided.

(5) Notice regarding false statements. Each person required to submit information under this section shall sign and submit the following statement:

A false statement knowingly and willfully provided in any of the information pursuant to this section may be grounds for not approving the contract in which I have a financial interest or management responsibility, or for disapproving or voiding such contract after it is approved by the Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Also, I may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, title 18, section 1001).

(c) For each entity identified in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, the management contractor shall provide to the Commission the following information:

(1) List of individuals.

(i) Each of the ten (10) largest beneficiaries and the trustees when the entity is a trust;

(ii) Each of the ten (10) largest partners when the entity is a partnership;

(iii) Each person who is a director or who is one of the ten (10) largest holders of the issued and outstanding stock alone or in combination with another stockholder who is a spouse, parent, child or sibling when the entity is a corporation; and

(iv) For any other type of entity, the ten (10) largest owners of that entity alone or in combination with any other owner who is a spouse, parent, child or sibling and any person with management responsibility for that entity.

(2) Required information.

(i) The information required in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section for each individual identified in paragraph (c)(1) of this section;

(ii) Copies of documents establishing the existence of the entity, such as the partnership agreement, the trust agreement, or the articles of incorporation;

(iii) Copies of documents designating the person who is charged with acting on behalf of the entity;

(iv) Copies of bylaws or other documents that provide the day-to-day operating rules for the organization;

(v) A description of any existing and previous business relationships with Indian tribes, including ownership interests in those businesses;

(vi) A description of any existing and previous business relationships with the gaming industry generally, including ownership interest in those businesses;

(vii) The name and address of any licensing or regulatory agency with which the entity has filed an application for a license or permit relating to gaming, whether or not such license or permit was granted;

(viii) For each gaming offense and for each felony for which there is an ongoing prosecution or a conviction, the name and address of the court involved, the charge, and the dates of the charge and disposition;

(ix) For each misdemeanor conviction or ongoing misdemeanor prosecution within ten (10) years of the date of the application, the name and address of the court involved, and the dates of the prosecution and disposition;

(x) Complete financial statements for the previous three (3) fiscal years; and

(xi) For each criminal charge (excluding minor traffic charges) whether or not there is a conviction, if such criminal charge is within 10 years of the date of the application and is not otherwise listed pursuant to paragraph (c)(1)(viii) or (c)(1)(ix) of this section, the criminal charge, the name and address of the court involved and the dates of the charge and disposition.

(3) Responses to questions. Each entity with a direct or indirect financial interest in a management contract shall respond within thirty (30) days to written or oral questions propounded by the Chairman.

(4) Notice regarding false statements. Each entity required to submit information under this section shall sign and submit the following statement:

A false statement knowingly and willfully provided in any of the information pursuant to this section may be grounds for not approving the contract in which we have a financial interest, or for disapproving or voiding such contract after it is approved by the Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Also, we may be punished by fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, title 18, section 1001).

(d) For any of the following entities, or individuals associated with the following entities, the Chair may, upon request or unilaterally, exercise discretion to reduce the scope of the information to be furnished and background investigation to be conducted:

(1) Tribe as defined at 25 CFR 502.13;

(2) Wholly owned Tribal entity;

(3) National bank; or

(4) Institutional investor that is federally regulated or is required to undergo a background investigation and licensure by a State or Tribe pursuant to a Tribal-State compact.

[74 FR 36937, July 27, 2009, as amended at 77 FR 47516, Aug. 9, 2012; 87 FR 68048, Nov. 14, 2022; 88 FR 18393, Mar. 29, 2023]