Indian Gaming; Approval by Operation of Law of the Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact Between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the State of Montana

---
identifier: "/us/fr/2026-01390"
source: "fr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "Indian Gaming; Approval by Operation of Law of the Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact Between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the State of Montana"
title_number: 0
title_name: "Federal Register"
section_number: "2026-01390"
section_name: "Indian Gaming; Approval by Operation of Law of the Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact Between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the State of Montana"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-01-26"
last_updated: "2026-01-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
agency: "Interior Department"
document_number: "2026-01390"
document_type: "notice"
publication_date: "2026-01-26"
agencies:
  - "Interior Department"
  - "Indian Affairs Bureau"
fr_citation: "91 FR 3214"
fr_volume: 91
docket_ids:
  - "267A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.000000"
effective_date: "2026-01-26"
fr_action: "Notice."
---


#  Indian Gaming; Approval by Operation of Law of the Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact Between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the State of Montana

**AGENCY:**

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

**ACTION:**

Notice.

**SUMMARY:**

This notice announces the approval by operation of law of the Class III Tribal-State Gaming Compact between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the State of Montana (Compact) governing the operation and regulation of class III gaming activities.

**DATES:**

The compact takes effect on January 26, 2026.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**

Mr. Troy M. Woodward, Acting Director, Office of Indian Gaming, Office of the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, Washington, DC 20240, *[email protected];* (202) 219-4066.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, 25 U.S.C. 2701 *et seq.,* (IGRA) provides the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) with 45 days to review and approve or disapprove the Tribal-State compact governing the conduct of class III gaming activity on the Tribe's Indian lands. *See* 25 U.S.C. 2710(d)(8). If the Secretary does not approve or disapprove a Tribal-State compact within the 45 days, IGRA provides the Tribal-State compact is considered to have been approved by the Secretary, but only to the extent the compact is consistent with IGRA. *See* 25 U.S.C. 2710(d)(8)(D). The IGRA also requires the Secretary to publish in the *Federal Register* notice of the approved Tribal-State compacts for the purpose of engaging in class III gaming activities on Indian lands. *See* 25 U.S.C. (d)(8)(D). As required by 25 CFR 293.4, all compacts and amendments are subject to review and approval by the Secretary.

The Secretary took no action on the Compact within the 45-day statutory review period. Therefore, the Compact is considered to have been approved, but only to the extent it is consistent with IGRA. *See* 25 U.S.C. 2710(d)(8)(C).

William Henry Kirkland III,

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs.