Hope’s Son Named to New Indian Commission : Gaming: President Bush’s nominee is expected to win confirmation to the panel.

WASHINGTON — President Bush has nominated Tony Hope, a former Ventura County congressional candidate and the son of entertainer Bob Hope, to the sensitive post of chairman of the new National Indian Gaming Commission.

The commission will regulate and monitor the multimillion-dollar industry of bingo and other gambling on Indian reservations.

“It’s a great challenge to try to put something like this in place,” said Tony Hope, who faces a confirmation hearing for the $83,600-a-year post before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs on Thursday. He said he already has scheduled meetings with Indian leaders in anticipation of his confirmation.

Most Indian tribes opposed the controversial 1988 law establishing the commission, claiming it was a violation of tribal sovereignty. But supporters of the legislation contended that without outside monitoring and control, the high-stakes gaming was a potential haven for money laundering and other organized crime activities.

Indian tribes, facing cutbacks in federal money and limited tax bases, have instituted gambling, predominantly bingo, to raise revenues. About 120 of the 257 recognized tribes in the United States have some form of organized gaming.

The legislation that created the commission provides for joint tribal and federal government regulation of bingo, lotto and certain card games. The commission will have the authority to conduct background investigations of employees, monitor all Indian gaming activity, enforce the collection of fines and close illegal games.

The legislation also permits casinos and wagering on horse and dog racing on reservations, but only if a tribe enters into a contract with the state government. It requires Indian-run poker, slot machines and other games to conform to state laws on hours of play and betting limits.

The commission will consist of five members, including three from federally recognized tribes. Congress authorized spending $2 million a year for its operation and empowered it to collect another $1.5 million in fees from tribal gambling.

Hope, 49, said the White House approached him about the appointment in September. An aide to the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs said Tuesday that Hope’s appointment to the three-year term faces no apparent opposition.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Hope worked for Bush in the New Hampshire Republican primary in 1980 and 1988. He was also a member of the Grace Commission appointed by former President Ronald Reagan to pinpoint waste and fraud in the federal government. In addition, Hope served as vice president of the Overseas Investment Corp. under former President Gerald Ford. He is a senior vice president of Mutual of Omaha and United of Omaha insurance companies.

Hope ran unsuccessfully for the 21st District congressional seat vacated by Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge) in 1986. Despite heavy fund-raising support from many prominent entertainers and ex-Presidents Ford and Richard M. Nixon, he was upset by Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), who was then the mayor of Simi Valley. The district includes eastern Ventura County and parts of the western and northern San Fernando Valley.

Hope and his family reside primarily in Washington, although he travels to California frequently on business and remains registered to vote in North Hollywood, near where his father lives. Hope reiterated that, even if confirmed, he still hopes to run for Congress again in Southern California.

“It’ll cause my plans to slip by one term, but, at this point, it doesn’t make that much difference,” Hope said. “I’d run in 1994 instead of 1992.”