WASHINGTON -- An anti-gambling group on Friday called on the Bush administration to impose a two-year moratorium on "reservation shopping" by tribes seeking to open casinos away from their land and near large population centers.

Members of the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion said the pause would give Congress time to close loopholes in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.

Jeff Benedict, a Connecticut attorney and author of "Without Reservation," a 2000 book critical of Indian gambling, said the 1988 law "has more holes in it than Swiss cheese right now."

"It's being exploited to the detriment of Indian tribes. It's hurting states and it's disregarding the needs of local communities and citizens," Benedict said during a news conference at the National Press Club.

The moratorium request comes as congressional committees continue to ponder whether to amend the 1988 act to strengthen federal regulation of tribal gambling.

Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Resources Committee, has introduced a bill to limit off-reservation gambling to "economic development zones" that would be subject to approval by state and local governments.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has led six hearings since April on the 1988 federal law and has expressed concern about the spread of off-reservation gambling.

George Skibine, acting deputy assistant Interior Department secretary, said in July that off-reservation casinos are not yet creating problems but could in the future.

Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, on Friday declined to comment on the moratorium request.

Ernie Stevens Jr., chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, said tribes would oppose a moratorium on off-reservation gambling.

"We're not going to get bogged down by folks who want to take a shot at Indian gaming," Stevens said.

Mark Van Norman, the association's executive director, said tribes are not "reservation shopping."

"We consider it reacquiring former (tribal) lands," Van Norman said.

Since the law was passed 17 years ago, Van Norman said, there have been three off-reservation casino projects -- in Milwaukee; Spokane, Wash.; and Marquette, Mich. He said Congress also has approved a tribal land claim for a fourth casino in New York.

"We think there has been a lot more media hype that actual (off-reservation casino) projects," Van Norman said.

Benedict's criticism of legalized gambling extended beyond Indian casinos. He compared gambling to the tobacco industry.

Unless Congress cracks down on casinos, Benedict said the gambling industry may face "back-breaking litigation."