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Neither the association nor its chairman, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, advocated specific changes in the law, but Owens' spokesman said the meeting could result in recommendations.
South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds said gambling has helped tribes in his state, but he wants to ensure Indian casinos don't conflict with the government-run video lottery game.
Rounds also said Indian casinos are not subject to zoning rules or taxes unless tribes chose to contract with the state.
Keller George of the United South and Eastern Tribes, a confederation of 24 Indian tribes in the East and Southeast, said he is concerned about out-of-state tribes claiming land and building casinos with the financial backing of developers.
''The bottom line for the developers is money, but the bottom line for tribes is to advance the people,'' said George, a member of New York's Oneida Indian Nation and a member of the commission that runs the Turning Stone Casino and Resort.
In Colorado, the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma have proposed a $150 million casino and cultural center on 500 acres near Denver International Airport northeast of the city. The tribes have said they would relinquish a treaty-based claim on 27 million acres in Colorado if the state acquiesces to their plan, which Owens opposes.
The governors' association is made up of the chief executives of 18 states plus Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
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On the Net:
Western Governors' Association: http://www.westgov.org/
