Editorial: Tribal gaming paying off in Oklahoma

Thursday, July 23, 2009  

"Not quite five years since the election where Oklahoma voters approved a lottery and the expansion of tribal gaming, here are a few things we know:

→Gaming has been a big, big winner for Oklahoma’s Indian tribes. The state now has more than 100 casinos. The National Indian Gaming Commission reported earlier this summer that Indian gaming revenue had seen a tenfold increase in Oklahoma in the three years after Las Vegas-style gambling was approved.

→The state’s gaming compacts with tribes are paying off. Tribes that offer gaming contributed close to $106 million to the state during the 2009 fiscal year, up from $81 million the year before. Overall, about $250 million in tribal gaming revenue has come the state’s way as a result of the compacts. "We don’t know where it’s going to top out at,” state Treasurer Scott Meacham said earlier this month.

As has been the case all along with this issue, time will provide the answer. And the various debates, no doubt, will continue every step of the way."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Games of chance prove to be just that for state (The Oklahoman 7/23)