Nelson Westrin, Former NIGC Vice Chair and a Leader in Indian Gaming Regulation, Has Died

We are sorry to share the sad news that Nelson Westrin passed away last week. He was 61.

After he provided legal counsel to Michigan's governor regarding Class III compact negotiations, Nelson was named by Gov. Engler as the state's Racing Commissioner in 1993. A few years later, he became the Executive Director of the newly created Michigan Gaming Control Board, charged with regulating the state's nascent casino industry. Nelson held this position for six years, and was responsible for proposing legislation and developing and implementing regulations governing the Detroit casinos. He also was the Governor's designated state representative under Michigan's 1993 and 1998 tribal-state compacts, and directed the inspection and audit of Class III tribal gaming operations in the state.

In 2002, Nelson was appointed by President Bush to serve on the three-member National Indian Gaming Commission, where he was elected Vice Chair. During his tenure as NIGC Vice Chair, Nelson was instrumental in shaping the NIGC's policy and practices. He developed and authored the NIGC's first ever Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation Policy, and also helped to promulgate amendments to the MICS and new regulations clarifying the distinction between Class II and Class III machines.

After his three-year term with the NIGC ended, Nelson was a partner with the Lansing firm of Honigman Miller, where he practiced in the areas of gaming regulation and federal Indian and tribal law.

We first met Nelson when he was the NIGC Vice Chair. He was committed to tribal sovereignty and the federal government's obligation to work with tribes on a government-to-government level. He knew that respect for tribal sovereignty was not inconsistent with effective regulation of Indian gaming, and his work at the NIGC achieved both.

Nelson also was extraordinarily generous and genuinely nice. At our first meeting with him in Washington, DC, we brought along a copy of our book, Indian Gaming and Tribal Sovereignty: The Casino Compromise, which had just come out. When we presented it to him, he pulled out the copy he had already bought -- and read. What followed was a highly interesting and enjoyable discussion about the importance of tribal gaming and the challenges of effectively implementing and enforcing IGRA.

Most recently, we had the good fortune to be able to perform a small favor for Nelson. In mid-May, as he was experiencing some health issues, he asked us to sit on a panel, along with attorneys Mary Magnuson and Lance Boldrey, at a gaming industry conference. The panel was on the future of tribal-state compact negotiations, an area in which Nelson certainly had both experience and expertise. After the conference, we emailed Nelson to report on the success of the panel, and to thank him for inviting us to participate, particularly since we had the pleasure of meeting Mary and Lance, both of whom practice in the area of Indian gaming. Nelson's reply, of course, was characteristically gracious. He expressed the hope that we would soon meet and work together again—an honor for us.

We will miss Nelson very much, both personally and professionally. His untimely death is no small loss to the industry and the best ideals of Indian gaming.

Read more here in the Lansing State Journal.