BIA approves four Oklahoma Class III compacts

Friday, January 28, 2005  

Class III gaming was legalized in Oklahoma on Thursday with the publication of four tribal-state compacts in the Federal Register.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved compacts for the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, the Comanche Nation, the Miami Nation and the Cherokee Nation. The tribes can begin to offer certain electronic casino machines and card games including poker and blackjack. In exchange, the tribes will share a percentage of revenues with the state.

The compact required approval of at least four tribes before the games became legal. A fifth tribe, the Chickasaw Nation, is awaiting approval, as are others.

Get the Story:
Tribes get their bet on (The Muskogee Phoenix 1/28)
Gaming compacts approved for Oklahoma tribes (AP 1/28)
Notice of approved Class III Gaming Compacts (Federal Register 1/27)