Iowa Tribe seeks decision in favor of PokerTribe.Com gaming site

Thursday, April 7, 2016  

The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is hoping to be the first in Indian Country to operate an online gaming site.

The tribe won an arbitration award last November that said PokerTribe.Com would be permissible under the Class III gaming compact. The state of Oklahoma responded by telling a federal judge last month that it not oppose certification of the decision in court.

The parties met again in court on Tuesday and agreed to submit a final order in the case, The Journal Record reported. A document filed in court requires the order to be submitted within 10 days.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 outlaws Internet gaming unless it is conducted pursuant to a Class III gaming compact or under state law. If PokerTribe.Com gets off the ground and offers real money betting, it would be the first of its kind in Indian Country.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes tried to get a similarly-named site, PokerTribes.Com, up and running and negotiated a new compact with the state to cover the online games. But the Bureau of Indian Affairs rejected the agreement in November 2013, saying the revenue sharing provisions violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

"The state cannot control, nor can it offer, exclusive access to a market of patrons located entirely outside the United States and its territories," then-assistant secretary Kevin Washburn wrote in the denial letter that was posted by Turtle Talk.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes later ended its relationship with the developer of PokerTribes.Com. The tribe still owns the domain name, The Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune reported in January.

The Iowa Tribe purchased PokerTribe.Com from that same developer, the Tribal Tribune reported.

The tribe offers gaming at three physical sites: the Cimarron Casino, the Ioway Casino and the Ioway Travel Plaza.

Get the Story:
District Court Judge Wants State, Tribe To Settle Online Gaming Dispute (KGOU 4/7)
Judge asks tribe, state for agreed order about online gambling (The Journal Record 4/7)

Relevant Documents:
Iowa Tribe Arbitration Decision | Complaint: Iowa Tribe v. State of Oklahoma | Iowa Tribe Letter to State of Oklahoma | State of Oklahoma Letter to Iowa Tribe

Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune: Gaming website resurfaces (01/14)