A regulatory authority rooted in the sovereignty and traditions of the Haudenosaunee people.
The Six Nations Gaming Commission is the modern manifestation of a governance authority that has always been inherent to the Haudenosaunee people. Its establishment was not the creation of something new, but rather the deliberate formalization of the Nation's sovereign right to oversee gaming activities within its own territory.
On July 2, 1996, the Six Nations Council acted upon the recommendation of the Gaming Ad Hoc Committee to sanction the formation of the Commission through Resolution 32. Signed by Chief Wellington Staats, this founding act was a clear exercise of sovereign self-determination — establishing the Commission to regulate gaming in Six Nations Territory for the benefit of, and in full accountability to, the people of Six Nations of the Grand River. The Council tasked the Commission with a permanent mandate: to "ensure all sanctioned gambling activities are conducted with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to fair play”.
This authority has been practiced without interruption for thirty years and counting. From 1996 to the present, the Commission has functioned as the exclusive regulatory body to license operations, set standards, conduct oversight, and enforce compliance. On the terms of Six Nations of the Grand River. Accountable to the community it serves.
But 1996 is not where this story begins. Haudenosaunee gaming traditions have existed for centuries — thriving long before European arrival, long before the creation of modern provincial regulators, long before governance was a word anyone applied to them.
The earliest traditions originate from the Creation Story itself — games understood not as leisure alone, but as gifts from the Creator, carrying social, ceremonial, and spiritual significance that connected individuals to their clans, their communities, and the land. These traditions were understood as a culture of chance: games as a spiritual portal to possibility, a manifestation of core religious tenets. Pre-contact practices often took the form of divination ceremonies using sacred artifacts such as stones, shells, and nuts to connect with spiritual forces.
Lacrosse — often called the Creator’s Game or Little Brother of War — served as a substitute for conflict between clans, bringing communities together as spectators and participants alike. Games of skill and agility were played to determine dominance, to resolve disputes, and to provide social cohesion across communities. Betting was not merely for entertainment; it was frequently prescribed for medicinal purposes, and specific games were used to settle matters within the Creation Story and resolve clan competitions and thereby prevent war.
These practices existed in perpetuity — sanctioned by the Creator, integral to the identity of the Haudenosaunee People — long before governance was a word anyone applied to them.
Modern gaming governance at Six Nations of the Grand River is a continuation of that tradition. Six Nations Bingo has continued this legacy for over fifty years, evolving from simple Monday night sessions using corn niblets into a major regional operation. When the Six Nations Gaming Commission was established in 1996, it placed governance around something that has always belonged here.
