Editorial: Tribal gaming thrives in Oklahoma

Monday, August 17, 2009  

"It's an interesting — maybe troubling is more like it — phenomenon in Oklahoma. While more of our families need food stamps and seek help from local food banks, our state’s gaming industry continues to thrive.

A long article in The Wall Street Journal last week focused on how more and more states that have relied on gaming revenues to help with the budget are now being pinched all the more because those revenues have declined. For fiscal year 2009, Illinois saw its revenue from gambling taxes and fees fall by 23.8 percent over the previous year. Nevada’s dropped by 15 percent, New Jersey’s by 14 percent and Mississippi’s by 9.4 percent.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, saw a 29.7 percent increase over fiscal year 2008 — no state performed better among those listed by the Journal. Unlike many states, all of our casinos are operated by Indian tribes. The National Indian Gaming Commission reported a 2.3 percent increase in tribal casino revenue for the fiscal year that ended September 2008, down a bit from the previous two years.

Oklahoma’s largest tribes continue to bank on casino business. Two weeks ago, the Cherokee Tribe celebrated the refurbishing of a Tulsa hotel and casino that now carries the Hard Rock name. The casino floor comprises more than 125,000 square feet."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Oklahoma casinos don’t appear to be feeling the pinch (The Oklahoman 8/16)